Twilight's Dream
by xxMinixx
Summary: The last thing Link remembers before waking up on a strange island was the sound of thousands of people screaming, explosions, and maniacal laughter. Everything else is foggy. He knows he comes from Hyrule, but nobody has ever heard of such a place. Marin, his rescuer, insists his dreams of a golden wolf are nothing but dreams. Maybe he DID just hit his head really hard...
1. Prologue

~ Prologue ~

Someone was screaming.

No, not someone. Someones. Plural. As in more than one person.

The voices melded together, creating a horrific cacophony of sounds that grated against the ears like a symphony of fingernails dragging across a thousand chalkboards.

Interwoven between the screams of pain and horror came the sounds of glass shattering. Explosions sounded from far off in the distance, almost sounding as if the entire Bomb Shop inventory had just caught fire. The explosions were coming closer. The screams were growing louder.

Yet everything was still dark. It wasn't the darkness that came from the night. This was a different kind of darkness.

Nothing was working as it should. Shouldn't he be doing something? Shouldn't he be up moving? That was a thing he should have been able to do, but everything was disjointed. Disconnected, somehow. Something was incredibly wrong, that was for sure, but any clear train of thought past there just fell apart.

The ground rumbled beneath him. Thunder and lightning crackled ominously in the sky.

Someone was there next to him. Sounds were coming at him, but the sounds didn't make any sense. It was all just garbled gibberish. He thought he could detect certain emotions - fear, terror, anger - but beyond that, their words were lost to him.

It was cold. So very, very cold. The limbs that wouldn't move felt as if they were freezing from the inside out. A deep freezing sensation gripped his chest, making it difficult to breathe. The sounds that were being spoken above him grew louder, but the louder they became, the less they seemed to make sense.

Above him, there was a sharp gasp. Someone was laughing now.

Another loud explosion.

Another shrill scream.

And then there was nothing.

Nothing but the gritty sensation of wet sand plastering itself against his face, his lips, and his hair, the gentle lapping of waves, and the somber cry of a gull circling overhead.

A wave crashed over him, soaking him through. The coldness that gripped him thoroughly shattered as soon as the water hit him, but now he was cold in a different kind of way. This cold, at least, felt more natural. His body started shivering violently as his teeth clacked together. He tasted salt on his lips. Salt? But why was the water salty?

The sound of footsteps finally managed to rouse enough energy within him to force his eyes open a crack. Standing in front of him was a barefoot woman in a light blue dress, styled strangely from anything he had ever seen before. Her hair was bright red. One arm was raised up cautiously. She was staring down at him with the widest, wildest looking eyes he had ever seen. The look on her face looked as though she had just stumbled across a dead body.

 _Maybe she has,_ was the last thought Link had before passing out face down in the sand.


	2. Chapter 1

~ Chapter 1 ~

 _It was the tell-tale flicker of a candle's flame that caught his attention. Who could possibly be awake at this hour and down in an area like this, besides him? Where were the guards? Wasn't a place like this supposed to be filled with guards? The only reason he was awake was because everything here was far too fancy for a simple farm boy like him - sleep eluded him. Despite all he had accomplished, it was still like something out of a dream, actually being here. When the summons had come, written out in such fancy script on such beautiful paper, he could scarcely believe his eyes._

 _His hand naturally drifted up to the sword that rested on his back. Of course he had taken it with him on his restlessness midnight stroll. After all he had been through, could anyone really blame him?_

 _Moving silently as a shadow, he inched closer and closer to the doorway. Someone had left it open just a crack, almost as if they had been afraid that the soft click of shutting it completely might attract unwanted attention._

 _He held his breath as he reached his right hand for the door handle. Narrowing his eyes, he better angled himself so that he could peer through the crack in the doorway. His eyes widened in surprise as he-_

"You must be dreaming again, the way you're tossing and turning so much. If you'd only wake up, you could see that everything is fine now."

A soft, feminine voice broke his dream up into a haze of darkness right as he had been about to come face to face with whoever was in that candlelit room. That room was not this room - he figured that out almost instantly, even still being mostly asleep. The voice that spoke to him was sweet and kind. However, it was not a voice he recognized. He tried and failed to open his eyes to see where the source of the voice was coming from.

A cool, damp rag wiped across his forehead. It brushed against both cheeks before it came to rest against his forehead again. "No? Still too tired to wake up? I shouldn't sound so surprised. You were in such a sorry state when I first found you. Tarin wonders if you'll even wake up at all. Bless my heart, I'm sure you will. You just need some more time. It's a wonder you didn't drown out there in the ocean. I wonder how much sea water you swallowed? You poor thing. Just how did you come to be out there in the first place, I wonder?"

Nayru's Love, he had almost drowned? Is that why was he so exhausted? His body felt like he had been thrown off the top of Death Mountain. What had happened to him? Where was he, and how had he ended up here?

Only one way to find out.

Link groaned softly as he attempted to force one eyelid open. One eyelid took less energy than two, right?

The girl who was sitting next to him let out a startled gasp as she watched Link show signs of conscious effort. "Oh! Oh my goodness! Are you awake? Can you hear me?"

Link heard her, but he wasn't sure he had the energy to speak at the moment. For now, he decided to survey his surroundings out of his one eye. He was in a dimly lit, small but cozy looking little room. The wooden walls were bare of any obvious decorations or pictures. A thick curtain hung over the window, perhaps to keep the harsh sunlight out. It was hard to tell from this angle, but he thought he could make out sunlight peeking through the small crack between the curtain and the window frame.

The bed he was lying in was surprisingly cushiony. Someone had taken the care to prop his head up on multiple pillows and make sure he had several blankets resting over him. His attention shifted from the room to the woman staring down at him. His apparent caretaker appeared to be a young woman around his age. She had long hair that was a curiously bright red color - definitely not a color one saw normally. It was so vividly red that it almost seemed to be fake. Almost. She was wearing a necklace made out of shells and a light blue, sleeveless, simple looking dress. The style wasn't anything that jumped out at him to give him a hint of where he might have been. Then again, style wasn't really something he paid all that much attention to.

A foggy memory drifted through his mind. He _had_ seen this woman before. She was the very same woman who had stumbled upon him right before he had passed out. That part he remembered. Whatever had happened to him shortly before that was still lost in a haze of fog.

"Are you awake?" she asked again, leaning over him. Her big, bright hazel eyes peered down at him. Link could make out several freckles that danced across her tan skin. "Can you hear me? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Link groaned in response as he flopped his head back into the pillows, wincing as he shifted his body. Goddess, everything hurt. His whole body throbbed and ached. It didn't seem as though anything was broken, but that didn't make it any easier to move. He groaned a second time as he tried to move his fingers.

The girl giggled softly. "Am I supposed to take that as a yes or a no?"

"Both," Link croaked out hoarsely. "Where…?" His raspy voice broke off into a fit of coughing. It hadn't occurred to him how an extremely dry throat and mouth would make talking difficult.

"Wait just one second," she remarked as she stood up, setting a small wooden bowl down on the ground. Link forced his eye back open to watch where she went. The young woman busied herself on the other side of the small room. For the first time, Link noticed that the small room was, in fact, the entire house. There was another bed besides his, though it was nicely made up and unoccupied at the moment. He could make out a large dresser, a cabinet of some sort, some crates, and a simple table and some chairs across the room from him. The girl was busy at a counter, which he assumed served as a tiny kitchen. The house was small, modest, and cozy. Did the girl live here alone?

She returned shortly carrying a tray, upon which was a porcelain cup and pitcher. Without saying anything, she sat back down next to the bed Link was resting in and poured him a small bit of water. After holding the glass out to him for a moment, she tilted her head to one side as she gazed down at him. "I'll answer all of your questions soon, as I'm sure you have plenty. First, though, you need water. Do you think you can sit up enough to drink?"

Link grimaced, but nodded. He took a moment to steel himself for the seemingly simple task, then started to move to sit up. However, when he applied even the tiniest bit of pressure to his left hand, it felt like his whole arm was being stabbed by ten thousand swords while simultaneously being stabbed with twenty thousand more daggers. The pain caught him off-guard, causing him to cry out and fall back down into the bed.

"Oh, be careful! It's that left hand of yours, isn't it? I fear it might be broken. I tried to wrap it up as tight as I could. We might have to have someone help and see if it needs set. Here, let me help you," the girl added as she leaned over him and very gingerly slipped an arm beneath him. With her help, Link was finally able to sit upright in the bed. Smiling, she wordlessly offered him the glass of water.

A broken hand did not bode well at all. Although he didn't want to admit it, he was scared to see what sort of shape his left hand was in. Instead of looking to confirm the best or the worst, he instead pulled his right arm out from beneath the blankets. One thing at a time. Before he took the glass from his caretaker, he paused to flex his fingers. They were sore and stiff, but they all moved as they should have. His right hand was a bit bruised and battered looking, but that could have been from anything. At least all five fingers were intact.

Letting out a soft sigh of relief, he finally looked up and met her in the eyes. There she was, waiting with the glass and smiling encouragingly at him. He simply nodded to her and gratefully accepted the glass.

"Are you still thirsty? I'm sure you are. I bet you're awful hungry, too. You've been asleep for nearly two days."

Link choked right in the middle of swallowing his last sip of water. "Two days?!" he splurted out.

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment, absent-mindedly counting out something on her fingers. "Yup. Two days. I found you right as the sun was setting, then that whole night passed - Tarin didn't think you were going to make it, but I told him he just needed to be quiet and have some faith - then the following day and night, and now here we are today. It's past noon already. It might actually be closer to evening than I think it is. I haven't gone outside much today, what with you still being in here and all."

He only heard half of what the girl had said. His mind was still reeling from the fact that he had spent two entire days asleep. Two days!?

"Oh dear. I imagine I'm overloading you with information, aren't I? I have a bad habit of talking too much, especially when I get nervous. I just don't like it when it's quiet, you know? Well, I guess if I slept for two days straight, I'd have a look on my face just like that," the girl said, trying to keep him calm.

"Two days…" Link sighed deeply and shook his head.

The girl just smiled brightly at him. "The important thing is that now you're awake," she stated. "Being awake is a good sign that your mind and body are back on track to be healthy again."

Link swallowed hard. He supposed that the girl was right, so he simply nodded in subdued silence. His gaze traveled back down to his right hand. Grimacing, he slowly flexed his fingers a few times. He was still too afraid to look at what his left hand looked like. It had just occurred to him that he couldn't fully feel it, which really scared him. He knew it was there, but he couldn't move or twitch any of his fingers. After his wrist, everything just kind of felt… off.

The girl cleared her throat softly. "I don't want to intrude too much on your thoughts or force you to talk if you don't want to or if you're not ready to, but do you mind if I at least ask for your name? I'm afraid I've just been calling you 'the blonde haired boy' since we rescued you," she admitted, giggling nervously.

That made the corner of his lips twitch upwards into a hint of a smile ever so slightly. Whoever this girl was, she certainly was good-natured. "Link."

"Link?" she repeated, giving him a curious look.

He nodded.

A big smile broke out across her face. She held out a hand towards him. "A pleasure to meet you, Link. My name is Marin."


	3. Chapter 2

"So where exactly are we?"

It was the Stalhorse in the room that Link had been avoiding for quite some time now. Marin had seemed perfectly content to engage in idle chitchat, mostly with herself, while she fussed about with making sure Link had enough blankets, was properly elevated, got some light food in him, and so on and so forth. Link's mind was still fuzzy around the edges. The more she talked, the more he seemed to zone out. His left hand bothered him more than he wanted to admit. His legs ached, but he doubted he would be able to stand if he tried to, so he stayed where he was. A throbbing headache was starting to grip down on his entire skull, too. It felt like someone had hit him and hit him hard in the back of his head with a steel rod.

Marin, who had gotten up to put some dishes in the sink, didn't even turn around. "Mabe Village, of course."

It was the way she said 'of course' that bothered him ever so slightly. She said it so matter-of-factly, as if that could be the only answer possible. Mabe Village? As far as he could remember, he had never even heard of any such place, let alone been there himself.

"Mabe Village, you said?"

"The one and only," Marin replied, smiling as she turned around and strolled back over to his bedside. "I'll be the first to admit that it's rare for us to get visitors, especially of your sort."

Link blinked twice as he stared at her. "Erm… what do you mean by 'my' sort?" he asked, trying not to let his perplexion show on his face.

She laughed before answering him. "I meant the kind who wash up on the beach, silly! Don't look so concerned."

At this, he couldn't help but let out a nervous little chuckle. "I… see. So where in Hyrule would this Mabe Village be?"

Now it was Marin's turn to look confused. "Hyrule?" she repeated, tilting her head to one side.

A hint of a scowl passed across Link's face. "Yes. Are we south of the castle? West?"

Marin thoughtfully tapped her pointer finger on her chin as she thought. "Let me think. I believe we're kind of… south-west of the castle. What a funny landmark to use," she said with a giggle.

Link didn't really understand how 'the tallest manmade structure in all of Hyrule' might be considered a 'funny landmark,' but he let the comment slide for the moment. "Right. So how far southwest are we, would you guess? Are we maybe to the west of the desert?"

Marin just stared at him blankly. "Yes," she answered slowly. "Of course we are."

"West of the desert," Link repeated. "That's amazing. So we're really past the mountains?"

"What mountains?" Marin was looking at him as if he was crazy.

"You know, the mountain range to the west of Gerudo Desert."

"Huh?" Marin frowned, then leaned over and placed the back of her hand on Link's forehead. "Are you feeling alright?"

Link shook his head and pulled away from her hand. "No, I feel fine. Maybe I'm thinking too far west. It's possible that you might not know of that region of Hyrule, I guess, if this is truly a small village. What about the woods? Do you know of the woods?"

Marin sighed exasperatedly. "Of _course_ I do. They're directly north of the village."

Link opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Ordon Village was directly south of the woods, so how could this Mabe Village also be directly south of the woods? The thought then occurred to him that 'the woods' was a rather generic term. Just because he grew up in 'the woods' didn't mean that everybody else would automatically know immediately of which woods he was talking about. There were other, smaller forests spread across Hyrule, after all. "Okay, my fault. I didn't specific. I'm talking about Ordon Woods. Surely you know of Ordon Woods. It's only the largest forest in all of Hyrule."

Marin pushed her hand back up against Link's forehead. "Link, I'm sorry, but you're not making any sense to me at all. Gerudo? Ordon? I've never heard of such places! Either you're sick and delusional with some sort of fever, or I fear you've hit your head much harder than I initially thought."

Link grimaced and looked away from Marin as the girl insisted on checking his head for a fever. Things were not adding up at all. Was it possible he had some sort of amnesia? He could certainly remember important details of his life, like his name, where he grew up, and memories of his past adventures. If he could remember all of that, then surely he didn't have amnesia. His whole memory might not have been 100% intact at the moment, but surely with some rest, everything would come back to him. He closed his eyes and tried to focus. What _had_ be been doing before he wound up in the ocean? The last place he clearly remembered being was in Castle Town...

A sickening thought suddenly popped into his mind, causing him to gasp. Marin squeaked in surprise and fell backwards into the chair sitting next to Link's bed. Link dug the fingers of his good hand deep into his blond locks. "Wait a minute, wait a minute - Zelda! Where is she? Is she here?"

The red headed girl blinked twice as she peered straight at Link. Her head tilted curiously to the side once more. "Zelda?"

"Yes, Zelda. Goddess, I can't believe I forgot until just now! It must have been something you said- I remember now! I was with her right when… I mean, I think I was with her… I think… yes, I know we were, right before I... before... " Link stopped. A scowl spread across his face as he tried to remember what had happened to him before he had passed out. What _had_ he been doing before?

"Hmm," she pondered for a long while, resting her pointer finger on her chin. "I'm afraid I don't know anybody named Zelda. Zel-da," she said, drawing out each syllable. "What a strange sounding name."

Something wasn't right. Even growing up as far away from the kingdom as he had, he still knew the name of the royal family members. That's just something that everybody who lived in any part of Hyrule grew up knowing.

"Who is she?" Marin asked, staring directly into Link's eyes.

"She's… a friend," Link said after a slight hesitation. Something in his gut told him that it might be a bad idea to start talking about a princess when Marin very clearly thought he was delusional.

"Ah, I see. She must be worried about you," Marin replied thoughtfully. "As am I, if I'm going to be completely honest. You definitely hit your head hard. There's a lump the size of a cucco egg on the back of your poor head. I imagine you might have swallowed your fair share of saltwater, too. You don't seem to have a fever, but I still think it's best if you get some rest."

"Right," Link mumbled softly.

Without saying anything, Marin stood up and returned back to the tiny kitchen. Link heard some pots and pans clattering together, but he paid them no heed. His mind was replaying their strange conversation. "Marin, do you mind if I ask you a rather strange question?"

"No, go right ahead."

Link was careful to phrase his question together in his mind before asking it. "The castle I was talking about… what's the name of it? I can picture it, but I can't seem to remember its name."

Marin returned to his bed, this time holding a small porcelain bowl. He caught the faint aroma of something fruit coming from it. She smiled down at him as she sat back down. "You mean Kanalet Castle?"

"Ah. Right. That's the one, all right," Link responded, feigning recognition. He hoped Marin bought it.

Her answer all but confirmed his worst fears - wherever he was, he wasn't in Hyrule.

"I know it's big and all," Marin started to say, "but nobody goes anywhere near there. It's far too dangerous. I hear after they ran poor Richard out, the place became overrun with monsters. Here. Drink this," Marin suddenly said, holding the bowl up to his lips.

Link stared down the pale white liquid. "... What is it?"

Marin sighed softly and rolled her eyes. "It's just some milk and honey… and, you know, I might have tossed in a hint of lavender."

"Lavender?"

"It's supposed to help you sleep. That's what Granny says, at least," she giggled. "Oh, just drink it. I didn't poison it or anything, silly."

His head was pounding harder and harder by the second. Maybe sleep was just what the doctor ordered. He gripped the edge of the bowl with his good hand and drank up the contents. Thankfully, it seemed to be exactly what Marin had said it was - milk, honey, and something that smelled better than it tasted.

"Right," Marin stated as she stood up. "You focus on getting lots of sleep. Tomorrow morning, we'll get you up out of that bed and up and walking around. It sounds like you have a thousand more questions. I probably do, too. We'll sort it all out tomorrow, or at least we'll give it our best shot," she said, smiling brightly.

Her enthusiasm was contagious. In an odd way, Marin reminded him of…

Link's eyes widened as he struggled to picture her name. He could see her in his mind's eye, standing there plain as day. Short, blonde hair rustling in the wind. Vivid blue eyes, eyes as blue as the summer sky. Barefoot, because when had she ever worn shoes? She liked to pretend she was as wild as the horses she loved so much. She could be just as sweet or as sassy as an untamed horse, too.

 _What was her name?_

"Did you hear me, buster?" Marin's voice shattered his thoughts. "Quit staring at the wall like it's on fire. Go on, get some sleep."

"Sorry," Link apologized, shaking his head. "I was just… thinking."

"You can think all you want tomorrow. Trust me, I think your body and your mind will thank you if you go to sleep," Marin said, winking at him. "I'll be right here if you need me for anything. Anything at all."

Link smiled softly as he gingerly slipped back under the many blankets Marin had supplied him with. His left hand twinged as he bumped it against his body. Before he decided to let himself nod off, he looked back up at Marin. "Marin?... Thank you."

"My pleasure. Now go to sleep," she responded, giving him a gente little pat on the head before she stood up and walked across the room.

Link closed his eyes, but sleep did not come easily.

There she was, standing ankle-deep in the crystal clear waters of the spring. The sun was shining through the haze of the morning. She was stretching, well aware that Link was sitting on the shore watching her. The blonde girl laughed and whirled around, kicking water at him playfully.

 _What was her name?_


	4. Chapter 3

~ Chapter 3 ~

A sharp, searing pain jolted Link awake. It felt like he had just dipped his left arm into the very bowels of Death Mountain! The Hylian bit down hard on his lower lip to keep from screaming, as his groggy half-asleep senses told him that it would be unwise to alert anything or anyone in the area to his presence. He very nearly drew blood. Grunting under his breath, he forced himself to focus instead on breathing in, holding his breath, and counting to some high number until he couldn't stand it any longer.

 _Farore's Wind,_ did his hand HURT.

No longer caring what time it was or who was around, he dragged his throbbing arm up from under the covers where it had been lying like a sack of molten bricks against his side into sight. It was the first time he was seeing his hand. To his surprise, it looked…

… absolutely fine.

Well, at least it looked about as fine as a hand wrapped up tightly in cloth bandages could be. He had half-expected to see blood pouring out from all five of his fingers, or the poor, charred-to-a-crisp remains of whatever might have been left of a hand that had fallen into lava. He didn't see a single speck of blood, pus, or any other gruesome sort of gore on the bandages.

Granted, it also appeared to be in the middle of the night. There were no light sources around, not even any coming in from the window. It was either just that dark or incredibly cloudy.

Now that he had gotten over his intial fear and dread of looking at his hand, he took a deep breath and began to focus. The pain was finally starting to ebb to something akin to a dull, throbbing ache. Squinting his bright blue eyes, he tried his best to see as well as he could through the darkness.

 _Why do I feel like there was a time when I could see through the darkest of nights like it was broad daylight_?

He shook the odd thought out of his head for now and instead began to inspect his whole arm as best he could. Someone had taken care to wrap bandages from his elbow clear down to his hand, even taking the time to wrap smaller bandages around each individual finger. The tips of his fingers protruded out from the bandages. As best he could tell, they looked like healthy fingers. His nails were dirty and he could make out a small scratch here and there, but that was nothing new.

By all accounts, part of him felt like he could rip the bandages off and he would be just fine. The only problems seemed to be that 1) he couldn't move his fingers or his hand at all 2) it still felt like someone had pounded his hand flat with a very large sledgehammer. Link just stared at his hand, trying desperately to wiggle or move his fingers, but they just hovered there, limp and lifeless.

Small, wooden sticks of some sort had been placed on both sides of his wrist. Although it felt like his hand was on fire, he still couldn't feel, move, or use most of his arm from the elbow down. Hadn't the girl mentioned the fact that his wrist or his hand might have been broken?

Grimacing in anger and confusion, Link poked at the top of his left hand with his right pointer finger and immediately regretted doing so. He saw white flashes at the corners of his vision as intense pain seared up anew.

"... hasn't mentioned it again?"

Link's ears twitched as he caught a male's voice speaking softly from somewhere close.

"No. It's strange that he even mentioned it in the first place."

A female voice. Marin? It was too muffled for him to properly tell. His head whipped up from his arm to the dark outline of the front door. Squinting, he caught sight of shadows closing in on the very faint hint of light poking in from the bottom crack of the door.

"You're right. It is strange."

The male voice again. Although the man was doing a good job of talking quietly, Link could sense a stern gruffness to his voice.

Without quite knowing why he felt a sudden sense of panic welling up inside of him, he quickly and quietly dove back down under the covers and pulled them up close to his head. He had learned long ago to trust his instincts. Moving that fast had caused him to bump his arm again, though, which once again sent a burst of painful flames shooting up his whole arm. He did his best to ignore the pain screaming at him from his left arm.

The door creaked open just enough to allow someone to enter. Link could make out the soft pitter-pattering of two sets of feet doing their best to make as little noise as possible.

"Do you think we should be concerned?" the girl whispered.

There was a pause as the man exhaled slowly, as if deep in thought. If Link didn't know any better, he could have sworn he heard him stroking his beard. "I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that. It could go either direction."

"That's what I was afraid you were going to say," she replied with a soft, airy sort of sigh.

At that, the man chuckled. "I may be many things, but I'm not psychic. Seeing the future is not a gift I possess."

Just as Link could have sworn he could have heard the man stroking his chin, he could also swear that he could hear the girl roll her eyes in response.

A few soft footsteps shuffled closer towards him. Link prayed that he looked like he was deeply asleep. He felt a soft, cool hand brush his bangs out of the way as a hand gently pressed against his forehead.

"Still warm," Marin whispered. She pulled her hand away, pausing a moment before brushing his hair back in place. The notion felt almost motherly.

"Feverish warm?" the man asked.

"Hard to say. Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn't feel as burning hot as it did earlier." She pulled a blanket that had been folded down back up over him, making sure he was nice and comfortable. Link found it growing increasingly harder to pretend he was sleeping. "Poor thing. I hope he'll be able to eat more tomorrow."

"Tch. You're going through an awful lot of trouble for this boy," the man grumbled.

"Oh? And why shouldn't I be?" she replied before stepping back across the room.

"Is this really how you're going to go at it?" the man countered.

At this statement, Marin chuckled. From the little Link knew of the girl, it seemed almost uncharacteristically… dark.

"There are many paths that all lead to the same goal," was Marin's cryptic sounding reply.

The man paused. "Are you implying that it's easier to catch more flies with honey?"

The door creaked open. He heard one of the figures walk through the door. Praying that neither one of them would notice, Link opened one of his eyes just a crack. If only he could catch a glimpse of who was talking to Marin…

Standing in the doorway was something dark. It was as dark as the night pouring in from outside the open doorway. For half a second, Link could have sworn that he could see straight through the figure into the darkness beyond. It almost appeared as if it were… a shadow?

No, that just wasn't possible.

Whatever the dark figure was moved out of sight just as Link was able to focus on it. He caught the back of Marin's figure, also draped in the shadows of darkness, just as she slipped through the doorway. The girl paused briefly and glanced back at Link.

Link's heart skipped a beat.

His right hand gripped the sheet beneath him tightly.

It took every ounce of restraint he had to remain as silent and still as the grave.

 _Her eyes were glowing red._

"That is how the saying goes, isn't it?" Marin asked, giggling rather sadistically.


	5. Chapter 4

~ Chapter 4 ~

Link was floating in darkness. Three bright, blinding lights zoomed past him - one red, one blue, and one green. The lights glowed with a fierce energy that he had never seen before, and he knew at once that it was because they were not of this world. They brought light to the world of chaos strewn out around him, and with the light came life. Grass and flowers burst up from the barren ground all around him. Energy swirled around him, forming all sorts of creatures that scurried off in all directions. A blue sky filled the darkness.

The lights converged unto a single point and then vanished in a flash, leaving behind three golden triangles.

 _I know this place. This is the Sacred Realm,_ Link thought, smiling as he looked around at such a beautiful, bountiful land.

A girl appeared besides him, dressed in simple farming clothes. Her bare toes wiggled in the crisp grass. He knew the girl, even though he could not recall her name. She smiled at him, and he smiled brightly back. She reached out for his hand, and he took it, giving it a reassuring little squeeze.

Life was good.

That was, until he opened his eyes and saw that the light had vanished from the girl's eyes. Where her eyes should have been, there was nothing but white. A twisted, sadistic smile appeared on the girl's face. She had a dagger in her free hand, and she raised it high.

No! She wanted that golden power for herself!

Although he knew not from where it came, he raised a sword up and blocked the girl's dagger just in the nick of time. She fell backwards, consumed by the darkness.

A great panic arose inside of Link. The power! He needed it! It MUST be his! If _she_ had come after it, surely others would come as well! He turned and started running up the hill, as fast as his feet could carry him.

At the top of the hill stood three hooded men. There was something not quite right about their appearance. They were dressed in black, but even more so than that, there was something… unnatural about them. Something dark. Something sinister.

They lifted their heads all at the same time. Their red eyes gleamed brightly down at him as they all laughed in unison.

Link stopped dead in his tracks, reaching for his sword.

 _ **Interlopers…**_

That wasn't a word he spoke. The word came from somewhere else. The voice was deep. It resonated from everywhere, yet it seemed to have no source at all.

He heard a yell from behind him. Startled, he saw another man go running up the hill, screaming a fierce battle cry. It was… him?! Link's jaw dropped as he watched himself run at the strange men in all black, sword raised high. "What the-"

The men - they were Link, too! Except… different? Something very strange was going on. It was as if someone had reconstructed him out of shadows and darkness. The outfits they wore were a perfect replica of his own tunic, except black. Their skin, their hair, everything else about them was black as black could be. The dark versions of him were laughing.

Link couldn't help but flinch as he watched the men raise their hands, form identical orbs of energy, and shoot them straight at the other non-shadow-Link, who let out a gruesome scream as he was obliterated into dust.

"What in Hyrule is going on?!" Link shouted.

 _ **Beware…**_

The hooded figure in the middle laughed. It was a woman's laugh. The figure shimmered, shifted, and transformed. A black, silky dress clung to her figure. She removed her hood and shook out her long, luscious red locks.

"Marin?!" he gasped, his eyes wide as he gawked at the girl who had rescued him from the ocean.

"Link," she said softly, smiling down at him.

"Marin, what- how- where-"

Marin shook her head, gazing down at him with a look of pity in her eyes. "Link."

From out of nowhere, a blinding orb of golden light appeared behind the trio. The two Shadow Links cowered away from the light, screaming in agony as they were torn apart by the light. Even Link raised a hand to block out the harsh light. "Marin?! What's going on?! Where are we?!"

Marin stepped towards him, seemingly unaware that the golden light was beginning to rip her apart. A great roaring, whooshing noise was coming from the light. The ground was beginning to rip itself apart now. Link could feel the wind lashing out at him, but he didn't understand where it was coming from. "Marin!"

She held out her hands, reaching out to him. Link tried to reach out to her, but the energy coming from the light was pushing him back and away from her. She opened her mouth to say something just as her eyes shifted from blue to gold. Her figure was ripped apart into flakes of energy as a massive hunk of the golden light came bursting outwards towards Link, threatening to swallow him whole. As the energy came tumbling towards him, it seemed to take on a four-legged form all of its own. The roaring noise of the energy turned into more of a growl.

 _ **Beware!**_

He raised both of his hands in front of him in self-defense just as something heavy bowled into him, knocking him over onto his back. The sound of growling faded away. He tumbled through the darkness.

"Marin?!"

"Link?"

"MARIN!"

"What?!"

Gasping, Link's eyes shot open. He yelped as he saw two very bright, very close-to-his-face blue eyes staring back down at him. Surprised, he jolted straight up out of bed and missed colliding with Marin by a whole half an inch.

Marin squealed in surprise as she jerked backwards out of the way. Her hand jumped up to her chest. "Oh my gosh, you SCARED me! Don't DO that!"

For the first time, Link realized that he was no longer floating in darkness. It would appear that he was still in bed inside of Marin's little cottage. Feeling very dazed and confused, he ran his fingers through his knotted, tangled mop of dirty blonde hair. "Wha… What in the world…? Where…?"

Marin heaved out a heavy sigh. "Oh, no. Don't tell me you've forgotten where you are already?"

Link quickly shook his head. "Huh?" Looking around, he saw the same, quiet little one-room cottage he had awoken in yesterday. Sunlight was streaming in through the window. A gentle breeze was causing the curtain to flutter gently.

"We're… I'm still here?"

"You haven't moved in three days now, Link," Marin said slowly, staring at him with concern in her eyes.

"I… Right. I washed up on the beach. I'm in your cottage. That's about all I know, I think. But just a minute ago, I could have sworn… my sword! Where did my sword go?"

"Sword?" Marin repeated, frowning at him. She reached out, ignoring the look of confusion and annoyance on his face, and pressed her hand up against his forehead. "Are you feeling feverish again? Or maybe you were just dreaming?"

"Dreaming… I was dreaming," Link said slowly. "That all must have been a dream, then."

"Hmm… well, I'm happy to report that you feel okay to me," she said, giving him a little smile. "It sounds like quite a dream. You said you had a sword. Were you fighting off bad guys?" she asked, giggling.

Link shrugged. "Oh, um… something like that. I'm afraid I can't actually seem to remember much of it now that I'm awake."

"Mmm, I know what you mean. Dreams are funny like that sometimes," Marin said.

A perplexed look crossed Link's face. "Marin, when you found me, did you find anything else with me? A sword, maybe? A real one?"

Marin just shook her head. "I'm afraid not. All I found was you. You were soaked head to toe, wearing a green tunic, pants, and some boots. Oh, and a belt. That's all hanging out to dry - and before you even think it, no, I didn't help change you out of your sopping wet clothes. Tarin and Papahl helped with all of that."

He didn't rightly care at the moment who Tarin and Papahl were or who had changed him out of his clothes, but he guessed from her careful avoidance of the subject that she had gotten some men to help. He had wondered if the girl had dragged him back here all by herself, but hadn't yet had the opportunity to ask.

"I'm sorry, but if you had anything else with you, it's very possibly at the bottom of the ocean by now."

Link sighed dejectedly. That wasn't the news he had wanted to hear. "I see…"

"Well… maybe not. It's possible something might have washed up by now. Nobody has mentioned finding anything, but hardly anyone goes down to the beach besides me, Mr. Lun, and some of the boys."

"Mr. Lun?" Just how big of a village was this place?

"Oh, he's an older gentleman who just really likes to fish. That's about all he ever does. Oh, and I guess you could count Sale."

"Sale?" Link was't sure he had heard Marin right.

"Yes, Sale. He has a little banana shop on the beach called 'Sale's House O' Bananas,' but I must confess that I don't usually see him out enjoying the beach," Marin giggled. "I don't know how he even stays in business. Anybody can climb a tree and get free bananas, after all."

Link just shrugged in response.

"Well, now that you're awake and feeling better, are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat? I don't think you've really eaten much in three days. You must be starving by now! I don't really have much on hand, but I do have some sashimi, some fried tuna, half of a melon, some bananas, a few apples, and some bread. Anything like that sound appetizing?"

Link gave her a grateful smile. "Let's start small. Since I haven't eaten in a while, I don't want to overwhelm my stomach. Melon and a roll sounds great."

Marin smiled brightly. "Okay! Give me a few minutes to cut it up." As she stood up, she set a gentle hand on his good shoulder. "I'm really happy to see that you're feeling better. Once you eat, maybe we can take a little walk around outside. I think the fresh air will do you some good. And maybe once you've gotten your strength back, we can head down to the beach and see if we can find anything that might belong to you."

Link gave her a little smile. "That sounds good. Thank you, Marin."

He watched Marin head over to the kitchen, humming merrily to herself as she busied herself with the task of slicing and dicing the melon.

 _Was that really a dream?_ Link wondered, staring at Marin's back. _What I think I saw last night… was that real?_


	6. Chapter 5

~ Chapter 5 ~

The Hero had faced many dangerous, challenging, and life-threatening tasks in his time, but none of them had been as terrifying as the one that now stood before him. Looking back on all of the obstacles and adversity he had overcome to get to this point in his life, he wondered how he would be able to overcome this next obstacle. Just thinking about it filled him with anxiety, dread, and terror.

Not that he would dare admit such a thing aloud, of course.

Mustering up all of the courage he could gather, Link took one final, deep breath before steeling himself up to the task ahead. This could very well make or break him. It would be terrible, it would be incredibly painful, but there was only one Hylian in all of Hyrule fit to conquer this great challenge. Was he the Hero, or wasn't he?!

Slowly, painfully, he reached his unbroken hand out and planted it on the soft, plush surface beneath him. Being down one hand - one dominant hand, at that - was incredibly bothersome, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He at least still had one usable hand, he told himself, and for now, that would have to do.

"All right… okay… Mmm… okay… I can do this… I can absolutely do this… mmm..." he exhaled, more acutely aware of his surroundings than he ever had been before.

Link's eyes focused on the worn wooden floorboards. He could make out how carefully they had been pushed together and nailed in place. Someone had taken a lot of time, effort, and energy to make sure to sand down each and every board, making sure that they were perfect. Each board fit perfectly together, like some sort of builder's puzzle.

The floor suddenly looked very far away. Was it just his imagination, or was the room starting to spin? He felt his arm trembling just a bit as he thought about what he was about to do. Link became incredibly aware of his own heartbeat, which had started pounding loudly inside his chest. A cold sweat started running down the back of his neck. His throat started to tighten. The edges of his vision were blurring together.

What had he been thinking?! He wasn't ready for this! Not yet!

"Oh, for crying out loud, just… get up! You're thinking too hard about it!" Marin chirped up, both hands planted on her hips in frustration.

Link glanced up at her from where he was sitting up in bed. His loose blonde hair tumbled down over his eyes. "I'm… trying."

Marin scoffed at him. "No you're not. You're just sitting there staring at the floor."

"No, I… I'm… studying it to make sure that I know exactly where I'm going to step," Link said after a moment's hesitation.

"Really," Marin said flatly, rolling her eyes. "Looks to me like you're just sitting in bed overthinking everything."

A grumbled, quiet jumble of angry words slipped past Link's lips.

Sighing, Marin relented a bit and took a step closer to the bed. She rested one hand on the bed frame and held out her other hand to Link. "In your defense, you have been bedridden for several days now, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with your legs. It was your hand and your arm that were all busted up. Your legs looked fine enough to me. Maybe a little paler than I was expecting, but-"

Link's whole face flushed rosy red. "P-Paler than you- wh-what exactly- you- d-did you-"

Marin tried to cover the wicked little smile that flashed across her face with her free hand, but a giddy little giggle slipped out of her. "Oh, stop that, you silly goose! I only saw your legs from your kneecaps down. Don't get _too_ excited there, Mr. Swordsman."

Grumbling, Link scratched the back of his head. "Hrmph... "

Giggling softly, Marin reached out and caught his hand as he was pulling it away from the back of his head. "Come on. Let me help you up."

Link very quickly pulled his hand free of Marin's grasp. "No!" he said, a little too quickly.

Frowning and looking rather hurt, Marin closed her fingers and pulled her fist back up towards her chest. "No…?"

"I-I mean… no… no, thank you," Link said softly. He still wasn't sure if the events of the night before had been a dream or not, and he wasn't about to take any chances with Marin 'helping' him into a situation that left him weaker and more powerless than he already was. However, he didn't want to let on that he might know that Marin wasn't exactly who she seemed to be, so he had to think of something to say very quickly. "This is something that I need to do for myself. I need to get up out of this bed of my own power."

Shrugging, Marin took several steps backwards. Link couldn't tell if she was angry, hurt, or possibly even a little proud to hear him say something like that. Knowing how women worked, it could have very well been all three smushed together into one singular package. Maybe the whole thing had been a weird dream? Maybe Link was just overthinking this whole, entire thing. Did nearly drowning cause victims to have incredibly strange, realistic, foreboding, omen-istic dreams?

She flicked her long, red hair back and then folded her hands behind her. "Fine. Suit yourself."

Oh dear. She had said "fine." That was never a good thing to hear from a women.

Taking a deep breath, Link simply smiled and nodded to Marin. No sense in trying to say anything else at this point. Actions always spoke louder than words, anyway.

No more complaints.

No more excuses.

It was high past time to get out of this bed, get out of this house, and get outside to figure out what in Hyrule was going on.

Link pushed the covers back and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He was wearing some sort of long, oversized, pale blue tunic that came down to about his knees. Marin had said something earlier about his real clothes hanging outside to dry out. There were some bruises and scratches here and there on his legs, but nothing seemed to look out of the ordinary.

"Just watch your bad hand, please," Marin warned. "I don't want you to hurt it anymore than it already is."

"I won't," Link reassured her, glancing up to give her a little smile.

Goddess, how he wished he had his left hand to use! It seemed like he should be able to just reach his left hand up, grasp the bed frame, and push himself up and go. He _should_ have been able to use his left hand. The sooner he figured out what had happened to his hand, the sooner he could figure out just how badly he had hurt it. The fact that he still couldn't feel most of it really worried him.

He would just have to give it time to heal. Simple as that.

All he had to do now was just… stand up.

So why didn't he just stand up?

Marin was right. He was thinking way too hard about this. Taking a deep breath, he pushed down against the bed with his right hand and forced his creaky knees to bend. A curse slipped out of him as he lost his balance and fell back onto the bed.

"Ooh, Link! Are you okay?" Marin squeaked, quickly coming towards the bed.

"I'm fine!" Link growled through gritted teeth, holding his good arm up to hold her off. "I'm fine, I'm fine. No, really. I went too fast that time," he grumbled, pushing himself back up. Now he was angry. Anger was a much better motivator than feeling pathetic and depressed.

Marin clasped her hands in front of her and took some respectful steps backwards. "Are you sure you won't just let me help you get up onto your feet?"

"Positive," Link said, brushing his fingers through his bangs. Without saying another word, he shoved his right hand back down onto the bed and pushed himself up. This time, he was ready.

Link stood.

"Well… that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked, grinning as he looked at Marin. He moved to take a step forward and very nearly toppled flat onto his face.

Lucky for him, Marin had fully anticipated this and moved forward to help catch him and steady him. She snuck up on his right side, wrapped an arm around around his back, and pulled his own arm up over her shoulders. "Easy there! You haven't used your legs in almost four, five days now. Give them a minute to catch up to you."

As much as Link wanted to refuse her help, he knew that she was right. "Fine, fine. Help me walk to the door, would you?"

Marin frowned at him. "Don't push yourself!"

"I'm not. How far is the door from the bed, hmm? I'd say it would be pushing it if I said to walk me straight down to the beach where you found me," Link pointed out.

"I suppose walking to the door wouldn't hurt," she conceded. "Just tell me right away if you get too tired or if your legs are going to give out on you. I can help you walk, but I don't think I can carry you all by myself. I could drag you, maybe," she added, giggling a little.

"I don't imagine being dragged across a wooden floor would feel all that amazing," Link said with a little chuckle. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

"Well… okay, then," Marin said, smiling. "Here we go."

It was a slow shuffle towards the door. While Link felt fit as a fiddle, it was true that lying around in a bed for several days without moving definitely put a hamper on one's ability to move. His body was screaming at him as he forced it to bend and move, but he did his best to ignore it.

Marin pushed the door open with the edge of her sandal, then moved sideways so that both of them could fit out the door together. Sunlight came streaming in, momentarily blinding Link. He went to move his left hand up to block the sun, but it did nothing except remain limp and useless at his side. Link grimaced, but he tried not to let his annoyance show.

Marin shuffled sideways, then helped him take one small step out onto the porch. They were finally outside!

The very first thing Link noticed was the strong smell of brine in the air. He couldn't see or hear the ocean, but it had to be close. A warm, gentle wind was blowing. Above them, the sky was a very vibrant blue. The sun was high in the sky, and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Tall tufts of yellow-green grasses were swaying lazily back and forth on either side of the little cottage, which Link could now see was just a simple wooden house with a blue roof. A hand-painted blue wooden sign was hanging on the side of the house that read "Tarin & Marin - Home Sweet Home." Little seagulls were flying over a sun setting into the ocean.

Small, wooden posts formed a fence that ran all the way around the house. A well-trodden dirt path ran from their door, out past the fence, then turned off to the right. There were a few other small, quaint looking little houses that were nearly identical to Marin's house scattered around. Link glanced down, noticing a collection of seashells lines either side of the path from the fence leading up to the doorway. Up ahead, he could make what looked like some sort of plaza, and past there were some trees.

"I guess this is your official welcome to my hometown. Welcome, Link, to Mabe Village!" Marin said, unable to hide her enthusiasm as they both stepped out into the sunlight.

"Mabe Village, hmm? It has a nice ring to it." _The kind of ring that I've never heard of before_ , he thought grimly. Just where was he, and how _had_ he gotten here?


	7. Chapter 6

~Chapter 6~

The sun was bright, the air was pleasantly warm, the sky was clear, and there was a salty sea breeze causing the grass to dance back and forth. All in all, it was an absolutely gorgeous day.

 _So why do I feel like something isn't quite right here?_

"... and are you even listening to me, Link?"

"Hmm?" Link blinked several times as he attempted to replay whatever it was Marin had been saying to him.

He was sitting on a hand-carved wooden bench in her backyard, resting in the sunlight. The short walk around the house had left him feeling winded and a little dizzy. A large tree was growing in the back corner, coming off of which was a clothesline that was tied to the house. When they had rounded the corner, the sight of his familiar green tunic flapping in the breeze had almost caused him to leap up into the air and let out a yelp of glee.

Almost.

Marin was in the middle of pulling his clothes down off of the line and folding them up, placing them in a little basket that was resting against the tree. She had just taken his tunic down and had it resting over one arm. "Tell me one thing that I just said."

Link just stared at her. "... Uhm… Well… You were just in the middle of saying… something… about… the beach?" he asked, giving her a cheesy grin.

Marin burst into a fit of giggles. "Not even close."

Link shrugged apologetically. "Sorry. I suppose I was just lost in thought."

"I can't say I blame you. For someone who seems to have some sort of weird case of selective amnesia, all of this must be a bit of an overload."

Frowning, Link leaned forward a little bit. One eyebrow perked up as he spoke. "Wait. What? Did you say that you think I have a case of selective amnesia?"

Marin shook out his tunic. "That's what I'm thinking. I'm certainly not a doctor, though, so don't take my word for it."

He reached his good hand up to scratch his chin. "Uh-huh. And what makes you think that I have selective amnesia?"

"For starters, the fact that you didn't seem to recognize the names of any of the places around here when you first woke up. It could have been that you were just slightly delirious or disoriented, maybe even dehydrated or deranged-"

"Aren't you a pro at alliteration?" he interjected under his breath.

Marin ignored him. "- but I doubt that that was the case. The look on your face was one of pure confusion. It was like I was speaking gibberish," Marin continued, dusting the edge of his tunic off before she folded it up and stuck it down in the basket. "You sound like you've never even _heard_ of Mabe Village, which is just silly. Koholint isn't that big of an island. We're not a huge village, but we're one of the biggest. There might not be a ton of inhabited places here, but it's really not a place where you don't grow up at least hearing the names of other villages and such."

Link sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He stopped suddenly, realizing that something was… off. For the first time, he noticed how naked he felt outside without his cap. Marin had just taken it down off of the line, folded it in half, and placed it in her basket. "Marin, I think that you're overlooking a very logical explan-"

"'OI!" a deep, loud voice boomed from the front of the house. It was so loud, Link jumped up off of the bench and instinctively reached for the sword that wasn't there with the hand that wouldn't work, causing him to wince in unexpected agony as his left arm seized up from the elbow up. Still on high alert, though, he glanced around him and saw a nicely sized tree branch resting on the ground close to the bench. He snatched it up with his right hand, not even thinking for a moment that he might not be able to do much in the state he was in. Whatever was about to happen, he was ready!

"'OI! HEY, MARIN! WHERE ARE YOU?" the voice called, much louder that it had been a moment ago.

"Back here, Dad!" Marin called, her voice nearly sing-songy. She apparently hadn't noticed the massive heart attack poor Link had just had.

A short, stout man with a busy black mustache came strolling around the corner, whistling tunelessly while he walked. He was wearing green shorts, an orange tunic, and he was carrying a large knapsack that was filled to the brim with something. Link couldn't make out what the contents of the knapsack were. "Oh-ho, outside, are we?" he asked, strolling right past the bench where Link was sitting to walk over to Marin and give her a peck on the cheek. "I'm surprised you're out here. You haven't left your new friend's bedside much at all since he washed up on the beach the other day. How's he doin', anyway?"

Marin giggled. "Why don't you ask him?"

"Oh! Did he finally wake up?" Marin's father exclaimed excitedly.

Without saying anything, Marin gently took hold of her father's shoulders and spun him around. His bushy black eyebrows made him look a bit like a sheepdog, but they raised sky high as he focused on Link.

"Oh! Well, Link, ya finally snapped out of it, eh?" the man said, half-shouting as he strolled over towards Link. He held out a hand. "The name's Tarin. Nice t' finally meet ya."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Link said, smiling as he held out his right hand.

Tarin had a Goron's handshake! Link did his best not to grimace as the man firmly grasped Link's poor right hand in both of his and shook it vigorously. "Good lad! It's good t' see ya outside! Hope yer finally feelin' better!"

"I'm getting there, I think," Link said politely, trying to indiscreetly pull his hand free of Tarin's handshake, which was still going on.

"Boy, I'll say, when my Marin here came and found us, was she sure worked up, an' of course I didn't rightly even believe her at first - who can blame me, really - but then there ya were, lyin' in the sand, soaked to the bone - well, o' course you were, seein' as you had just washed up out of the water, and wouldn't that 'a been weird t' find ya in the water but dry as a desert cactus-"

"Dad! You're going to pull his arm out of his socket!" Marin chided.

"Oh!" Tarin exclaimed, finally releasing Link's hand. "Oh, shoot, Ah'm sorry, Link! I just tend t' get a little distracted when I start goin' off." Laughing, he gave Link a good pat on the back. He didn't seem to notice as he knocked the wind out of Link in the process. "Oh, you should hear it when me an' Papahl get yammerin' on Card Night! Hoo, boy, can that be a fun night! Ah, not s' much anymore, now that his wife just had her baby. Cutie, that one is, but now that makes what, four? Five? Too many, if ya ask me. One's all I got, and one's plenty for me. Anyway, it's good t' see you out an' about! How's that arm of yours, eh?"

Link gulped down a much needed breath of air. "Ohh… ahh… it's... "

"He can't move it, Dad," Marin piped in, scooping up her laundry basket. "I reckon it might be more than just a broken bone. Do you think Papahl can come and have a look at it? Or maybe Mr. Ulrira?"

"Can't move it, hmm? Well, that's not good. Not good at all," Tarin murmured, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, I reckon I kin get one of 'em down here t' have a good looksie at it. Oh, before I forget, I got us some good eats for dinner, hee hee!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I'm gonna go put all this grub away. Link, it's good t' finally officially meet ya, my lad!"

"You too," Link mumbled, feeling very worn out from listening to the man talk circles around him.

Tarin, whistling tunelessly once again, disappeared around the other corner of the house.

"Well… that's my dad," Marin said, laughing hesitantly.

"He sure likes to talk," Link remarked.

"Yes. Yes, he does. I don't mind it, though. He's gone a lot, off foraging in the woods, hunting, fishing, helping Papahl - that's one of his best friends, by the way. He's one of the ones who helped carry you up from the beach, too. I think you'll like him when you finally meet him," Marin said, smiling softly. "I'm glad he's home, though. He's been gone the last couple of days, and with you mostly unconscious the whole time… well, it's been a little lonely, I guess," she added.

"I see," was all Link could think to say.

Clearing her throat a little, Marin turned to walk back towards the front of the house. "Well, how about I go and set this down inside and then come back to help you walk back in?"

Link gave her a soft smile. "Actually, I think I'll sit out here a while longer. It feels good just being out in the sunshine."

"Oh, okay! It's probably good for you to get some fresh air. It's not good, being cooped up inside for days like that. I'll help my dad put away whatever he's brought back from wherever he was, then I'll be back to check on you. I'm only a holler away if you need me, all right?"

"I'll be fine. I'm not going anywhere dressed like this," Link pointed out.

"Right," Marin chuckled. "I'll lay your real clothes out on your bed, now that they're nice and clean." She took a few steps towards the house, paused, then turned around to glance back at Link. A bright smile was on her face, and it was reflected in her eyes. "Link… I'm glad that you're feeling better."

Link felt the tips of his ears burning. "Thank you, Marin, but really, it's all thanks to you."

Marin's smile widened. A little giggle slipped out of her before she turned and walked back to the front of the house. Link heard her humming to herself.

Now that he was finally alone, he let out a deep sigh. Something had been bothering him about Tarin, but he didn't know what it was. The man was the definition of friendly - was that it? Was he just _too_ friendly? Should Link be suspicious of a man who was overly friendly? That sounded absurd. Some people were just like that, he supposed. The bulging knapsack had been a little odd, but Marin hadn't acted like that was out of place.

He rested his forehead against his good hand, rubbing the side of his head while he thought. He closed his eyes and tried to replay the whole meeting. Tarin had shouted something, he came around the corner, he talked to Marin, he introduced himself to Link...

Link suddenly gasped.

"How did Tarin know what my name was?" he whispered to himself. "I didn't introduce myself. Marin didn't introduce me, either. Marin also said he had been gone for a few days, and I only just woke up enough to talk coherently with Marin yesterday, I think, which would mean that Tarin hasn't been back since before Marin was able to learn my name."

Link's blue eyes narrowed as he focused on the path Tarin had taken around the front of the house.

"Din's Fire, what is going on around here?!" he growled.


	8. Chapter 7

~ Chapter 7 ~

With a bit of effort, Link managed to open the front door all by himself. He stood in the sunlight and paused, staring at his right hand on the door handle.

"I never thought about how strange it is to open doors with your right hand before," he muttered to nobody in particular.

Behind him came a now familiar giggle. "It's so funny to hear you say something like that! Everybody I know is naturally right-handed. But poor you, it must be so awful having your dominant hand all banged up and useless."

Link jumped up a bit at the sound of her voice. When had she come back outside? How had she gotten behind him?

Marin must have seen him jerk, for she immediately gasped in surprise and gently rested a hand on his good shoulder. "Oh! I'm sorry, did I startle you?"

"Yes! I mean, uh, no, no, of course not. I just hadn't noticed you coming back outside, is all," Link answered, slipping inside the doorway and holding it open with his bare foot for her.

"Such a gentleman," Marin remarked as she strolled through the open doorway. "Well, I didn't go out around the back where you sitting, so that's probably why you didn't hear me leave. Did you enjoy the sun?"

Link found himself smiling. "Yes. I didn't realize how much I'd missed being outside."

Marin folded her hands behind her back and smiled up at Link. "Well, that's good. You seem to be one who enjoys the outdoors."

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Link asked curiously, continuing to smile at her as he leaned back against the wall.

"I can see it in your eyes," Marin replied, her voice growing soft. "The look on your face when you first got outside spoke volumes, even though you didn't say much yourself. You're quiet, but your eyes speak for you."

Link found himself simply staring down at Marin. He noticed that her eyes were almost the same, blazing blue as the sky.

"And I can see it even in the way you hold yourself. Your posture, your mannerisms…" Her voice trailed off a bit as she took a small step closer to Link. "Even with your arm all banged up, I can still tell how strong you are. That kind of strength doesn't just come from sitting around inside all day. There's just something about you..."

Link felt the tips of his ears burning.

Marin's hands had come unclasped from behind her back. One of her hands started moving forward towards Link's good hand. "Something that just seems to set you apart from everyone else. Something-"

"A-HEM!" A loud, gruff voice cut through the softness of the moment, shattering it thoroughly. Tarin was standing in the back corner of the small house, leaning casually against the counter. Link's eyes widened in alarm as he noticed the impressive looking knife in the man's hand. "Marin, did you finish foldin' ALL o' the laundry yet?" he asked as he decapitated a turnip.

Marin's face turned beet red. She meekly mumbled an apology under her breath and scampered out the front door.

Tarin started to very slowly and very precisely slicing up the turnip. "Y'know, Marin is an only child," he stated quite bluntly. He picked up a carrot and locked eyes with Link. Without looking, he slid the knife into the bottom of the carrot and began to peel upwards. "And I don't need her t' be gettin' any of the… _wrong ideas_ from a young man such as yerself."

Link cleared his throat loudly, tugging at his collar. "Rest assured, sir, I have absolutely no intentions of, erm, pursuing any sort of… um… anything at all with-"

Tarin slammed the knife down with surprising agility into the carrot and the cutting board. The end of the carrot went flying into the air at an impressive height.

"Are you sayin' that my Marin ain't _good_ enough fer the likes of you?" Tarin huffed. Link could see an angry vein throbbing in the man's forehead.

"N-No!"

"She too _plain_ for some fancy _boy_ like you, eh?"

"No, sir, not at all! I think your daughter is wonderful!" Link blurted out without thinking.

"AHA!" the man barked, chopping clear through the carrot until the blade sank a solid inch into the wooden cutting board. "So you DO intend t' pursue her!"

"That's not what I said!" Link said, doing his best to defend himself. He started inching for the door, praying to the goddesses that Tarin wouldn't notice the movement. Where was that accursed door handle?!

Tarin picked up the knife and started waving it around in the air. "Then let me tell you right now, _boy_ , that I think-"

Link's right hand closed around the door handle. "Oh, did you hear that? Was that Marin? I think I hear Marin calling me!" Link laughed nervously, practically falling out of the door as he swung it open behind him.

The adrenaline rushing through his veins carried him around the back of the house in about four giant leaps. He was running so fast that he very nearly bowled poor Marin over as he rounded the corner. It was only his incredible wolf-like reflexes that caused him to jump out of her path at the last possible moment.

"AAH! What in the- Link?!" Marin shrieked, resting a hand on her heart as she gasped for air. "Why were you running like that? Did something happen?"

"Marin! Hi! Hey, you know what? I think we should go and take that walk you were talking about earlier," Link exclaimed, giving her an innocent smile. "I mean, come on, look around, it's just too beautiful a day to stay cooped up inside, right? And the more I think about it, the more I think that a walk is just what I need. If I go inside and lay around in bed all day, is that really going to help me recover?"

Marin squinted at him. Pursing her lips, she crossed her arms and scowled. "... What did my father say to you?"

Oh dear. Was it really that obvious? Link cleared his throat a little and rubbed the back of his head. "Hmm? Tarin? Nothing! Not a thing!"

Marin rolled her eyes. "Oh, good grief," she muttered. "What did he say? Oh my gosh. Did he _threaten_ you?" she asked incredulously.

"No!" Link said a little too quickly.

"So you just _happened_ to suddenly find all this energy and excitement out of absolutely nowhere when just a few minutes ago you were feeling exhausted just from walking from the bed to the door? And just a short time ago, you were so weak and tired you could barely even get out of bed!"

Link hesitated. "I-"

"And you really expect me to believe that you'd want to walk clear down to the beach in your bare feet, wearing nothing but a nightgown?" Marin pointed out.

Link glanced down at himself. He had forgotten for a moment that he was indeed in his bare feet and wearing a long, baggy sleeping gown. Instead of trying to come up with a new excuse, he simply gave her a sheepish smile. "Umm…"

"Ugh! That stubborn fool. Come on," Marin said, grabbing Link's right hand as she yanked him along behind her. "Back inside. I'm putting an end to this right now. I don't even know what 'this' is, but it's stopping right now."

The speed and strength at which she dragged him back around the front of the house was impressive. Link, of course, wasn't sure that he ever wanted to set foot inside of her house ever again. He went to lift his left hand up to try and free himself from her grip, once again forgetting the fact that his left hand was completely useless. He cursed under his breath. "Marin, please, I promise you, everything is just fine with-"

"TARIN!" Marin shouted as she practically kicked the door open.

"Mmm?" Tarin huffed, barely even glancing up from the carrot he was currently peeling.

Marin glared daggers in his direction. She dropped Link's hand and left him standing awkwardly in the doorway as she stomped over towards her father. Once there, she actually grabbed the knife out of his hand.

"Wha-" Tarin gasped, staring at his daughter. "Marin, what are ya doin' with-"

"You listen to me-"

"Marin, sweetie, put that knife down before ya-"

"No, Dad! YOU listen to ME! Link is MY guest," Marin shouted, wiggling the knife at him. "While he is staying here, you are GOING to treat him with respect. You are NOT to harass, threaten, or intimidate him in any way, shape or form."

"Marin, what I said I-"

"I would also like to remind you that I am not a small child anymore. I am a mature young woman! Quit treating me like I'm six years old!" She slammed the knife back down onto the counter and stormed back towards the doorway. Just as she reached the door, she stopped and spun around on her heels. "And if I WANTED to, I could date anyone I saw fit, and nothing you said about it would stop me!" she shouted into the back of the house before storming back outside.

Link and Tarin both just stood there, mouths agape as they each simply stared at each other.

"Come on, Link!" Marin shouted, grabbing Link's good arm and yanking him out the door after her.

"But where are we-"

"Just come on!" Marin shouted.

"O-Okay," Link stammered as he was pulled along helplessly after Marin. Wherever she was taking him was a mystery, but despite the fact that he was barefoot, wearing a sleeping gown, and running on nothing but adrenaline, he was excited at the prospects of seeing more of this strange little island.


	9. Chapter 8

~ Chapter 8 ~

Marin tugged Link out past the fence surrounding her house and down a short little hill. She followed a dirt path that wrapped around the back of the house. Link tried not to make a spectacle of himself as he looked all around, trying to gather as much information about the village as he could. He saw what looked like a few small houses down below the hill from where Marin lived, but he hadn't yet caught sight of anybody else out and about. The only things he really saw were trees, grass, and flowers.

In some ways, it reminded him of his own hometown village. Link felt a pang of homesickness as he wondered how far away he was from home.

"Marin, will you please tell me where it is you're taking me?" he finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Not far," she replied without even turning around.

Marin veered off of the dirt path and started walking through the grass. Link was about to ask her where they were headed a second time when, to his surprise, the grass turned to stone beneath his feet. They had arrived in some sort of plaza, which looked as though it had been partially carved out of the rocky cliff just to the north of them.

In front of him stood an impressively tall wooden tower of some sort that rose up out of an elaborate stone base. On the top of the tower was what appeared to be a hand-carved bird that looked to have been very painstakingly carved out of wood. Its wings jutted out to either side. Attached to the back of the bird was some sort of propeller. Around the base of the tower, somebody had taken the time to plant delicate looking little white flowers.

"What is this place?" Link asked, stepping forward to investigate the stone base of the tower.

"This is the Flying Rooster," Marin said, smiling as she watched him.

"I see," he murmured. Mindful of the flowers, he leaned over to dust some of the leaves off of the stone base of the Flying Rooster. "This says 'here sleeps the Flying Rooster.'" Standing back up, Link tried not to look mortified as he turned to face Marin. "Marin," he started, speaking very slowly. "... Is this some sort of gravesite?"

Marin just laughed. She walked forward and stood next to Link as she peered up at the Flying Rooster. "Don't look so morbid. This big old weathercock is harmless. It's been here for ages."

"Weathercock?" he repeated, perking an unsure eyebrow.

Giggling, Marin pointed upwards just as the wind picked up. The wind turned the propeller looking blades, which in turn caused the whole wooden bird to turn slightly to the left. "Haven't you ever seen a weathercock before? It shows which way the wind is blowing."

"Huh. Interesting. Now that you mention it, I guess I've seen similar contraptions. Just… never one quite so elaborate," he remarked, resting his good hand on his hip as he watched the wooden bird continue slowly turning. "So is the Flying Rooster just what that big, wooden bird is called?" Link asked curiously.

"No," Marin said, giggling again. "The Flying Rooster was a living, breathing cucoo. A very special one. Legend has it that there was once a special Cucco that lived in our village. Everybody knew it only as the Flying Rooster. They say he was quite the majestic beast and could actually, truly fly! If you lifted him up above your head, he would take you anywhere you wanted to go. People used him to explore all over the island. The Flying Rooster never once showed any signs of aggravation or anger, either. He was a very friendly rooster. Everybody absolutely loved him. He turned into something like the village pet."

Link scratched the back of his head as he peered up at the carving of the majestic looking rooster. Something about a flying cucco had sparked a foggy memory. The cuccos he knew of couldn't fly - if you lifted one up and jumped off of something tall, they did sort of allow you to glide around, but he wasn't sure that he would call that flying - but why did the thought of a cucco that could actually fly not sound all that far-fetched?

"That was a very long time ago, though," Marin continued, interrupting his thoughts. "And, well, cuccos don't live forever, unfortunately. The story goes that when he did eventually pass on, they buried him here."

Link suddenly envisioned an entire village coming together to mourn the death of a single chicken and did his best not to burst into hysterical laughter. The corners of his mouth twitched a bit. He fought back a deep, hearty chuckle by clearing his throat. "I… I see. So then, that cucco is buried right here?"

"Yes," Marin answered with a nod. She didn't seem to notice how hard Link was trying not to laugh. "But that doesn't mean that this plaza is creepy, though! At least, I don't think so," she said, smiling brightly as she clasped her hands behind her back. "Believe it or not, this is one of the only places in the village where I truly feel like I can relax." Heaving out a deep sigh, she tilted her head up so she was looking right up at Link. "I'm sorry I dragged you out of the house like that, and I'm so sorry for whatever crazy things my father said to you."

"Don't worry about it," Link said, grinning at her. "Trust me, I've been in some tough situations before. It's nothing I can't handle. Your father was just being a little overprotective of you, I think."

"Ooh! He can be such a wet towel!" Marin exclaimed, planting her arms on her hips. She stomped off a few steps away from Link, kicked a pebble across the plaza, then whirled back around. "He _did_ threaten you, didn't he?"

A nervous chuckle slipped out of the Hero. "Um, well, I don't know that I would call it-"

"Tell me the truth," she demanded, a huffy little frown on her face. "What did he say to you?"

Now it was Link's turn to heave out a heavy sigh. Anxiously, he flexed his fingers into a fist a few times. He'd rather fight off fifteen Moblins than have these kinds of discussions…

"Marin, please just don't worry about it. Your father just asked me a couple of inquisitive questions. That's all. Can you blame him, though? I mean, I am a total stranger," he pointed out.

"No you're not!" Marin insisted, walking back over towards him. "I… I mean… Well… I guess in some ways you are, but… Umm… I..." Her face turned as red as a tomato that had caught fire. She turned back away from him and started nervously running her fingers through her hair. Her sentence hung in the air, unfinished.

Link chuckled softly, shaking his head at her. Perhaps it was time to change the subject before the conversation went barreling out of control down a path he had no real intention of adventuring down at this point in time. He cleared his throat softly before moving to break the awkward silence that had settled over both of them. "So… What makes this place so special?"

"I don't really know, to be honest with you," Marin responded quietly after a short pause. She kept her back to Link. "Nobody else really ever comes here, except some of Papahl's boys when they're out running around, so I know I can come here and just relax and have some alone time. It's quiet and peaceful, being right on the edge of the woods like this." Casually strolling forward, Marin paused after taking a few steps and finally turned back around. It seemed she had gathered her composure, but she had nervously woven at least 5 tiny little braids into her hair. "Or maybe it's the cliff. This area has incredible acoustics!"

"Acoustics?" That had been about the last thing he had been expecting to hear.

"Mm-hmm. I really love singing here," she replied cheerfully.

Link found himself smiling a bit. "You sing?"

Marin brushed a strand of her long, silky red hair back behind her ears. Her cheeks had turned a very merry shade of rosebud pink. "I do. I love to sing." Biting her bottom lip, she gave him a bashful little smile. "Would… Would you like to hear a song?"

Link returned her smile with one of his own, the kind that left the provider of said smile clueless as to how quickly that sort of smile could melt a young girl's heart into a puddle. "I'd love to."

"Okay! I know just the song," Marin exclaimed, taking a few moments to smooth down the edge of her dress, adjust her sash, and brush the few strands of hair the wind had tugged loose back into place. Beaming, she clasping her hands together in front of her chest. "This song is called 'The Ballad of the Wind Fish.'"

Marin closed her eyes and began to sing a wordless, hauntingly beautiful melody. Her voice started out soft and quiet, and at first Link wondered if it wasn't because she was nervous to sing in front of him, but he quickly realized that that wasn't it at all. The song she was singing required her to start that way, slowly building up her power as her voice soared, hitting pitch-perfect, impossibly high notes like they were nothing at all.

Her mellifluous notes resonated throughout the entire plaza, evoking a feeling of relaxation from the very air itself. The song simply poured itself out of her like a river of hot chocolate on a cold winter's eve. Link had never heard anyone so good put so much passion, energy, and emotion into a song without words.

There was something about the way Marin was singing that just seemed to melt all of the tension straight out of his body. The adrenaline rush from his encounter with Tarin was long gone, and suddenly the Hero remembered just how utterly exhausted walking the length of Marin's house had left him just a short time ago. Despite what he may have thought, his body wasn't quite recovered from his brush with death.

His eyelids felt as though they weighed as much as three Gorons each. The ground felt strange beneath him as he began to sway unsteadily on feet. He opened his mouth to say something, but his voice didn't seem to remember how to work. Besides, his raspy voice had no right to interrupt Marin's angelic voice.

The last note of the ballad rang through the air just as Link crumpled to the ground.


	10. Chapter 9

~ Chapter 9 ~

A small finger gently poked Link's cheek. He groaned softly at the touch. The back of his head was throbbing. The finger poked him again, and slowly he became aware of a slight bit of pressure weighing down on him, as if someone were almost afraid to touch him. Or rather… as if the person touching him weighed nothing more than a shadow.

And it felt like such a small hand…

Could it really be?

"Mmm…?"

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a big, bright pair of eyes.

Four of them.

"Hey mister, are you dead?" a young boy with black, unruly hair asked as he poked Link's cheek several times in a row.

"His eyes are open, stupid! He's not dead!" the second young boy, sporting the same unruly hairstyle as the first boy, yelled as he leaned over Link's head.

"Gah!" Link shouted in alarm, attempting to shove both of the boys off of him with his right arm.

"Wahhh!" they both shouted as they tumbled to either side of him.

"Link!" he heard Marin shout from somewhere behind him. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake!"

Link started to sit up, but a strong, gentle hand pushed him back down.

"All right, all right, everybody, ease up now," the owner of the hand said as he knelt down besides where Link was lying sprawled out on the stones of the Flying Rooster plaza. The man was wearing a simple blue tunic had the same hairstyle as the two boys, though his hair had seen a comb sometime in the last few days.

"Easy there, son," the man said, a hint of a slow drawl in his voice. "Miss Marin here says you decided to take a dive down at the ground."

"I did?" Link asked, frowning as he tried to remember what had happened.

"Yeah, yeah, I saw the whole thing!" one of the boys shouted, planting both hands on Link's stomach as he leaned back over his face again. "One minute you were like 'oh I think I like standing!' and then the next minute you were like 'oh no, my legs quit working!" and then you were like vroooom, ker-SPLAT, and THEN Marin was all-"

"Thank you, Toko," the older man said, gently pushing the boy back off of Link's stomach.

"But Dad, that's what happened! I _saw_ it! Honest!" Toko exclaimed.

"I'm sure it did," the man agreed calmly. "Now, boys, if you don't mind, I'd really like to make sure our new friend is okay."

"How did you see it? You weren't even here!" the other boy shouted as he pulled his brother up and away from Link, crossing his arms huffily across his chest as he glared at him.

"Yes-huh! I was playing over in the field!" Toko stated, determined to defend his honor.

"Nu-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

Ignoring the squabbling boys, Marin knelt down next to Link, slipping both of her hands around his right hand to give it a little squeeze. "Oh, Link, I'm so sorry. I think this is all my fault," she fretted.

"I'm… confused," Link stated, giving Marin a pleading look. She took the cue and helped him to very slowly sit up, making sure to keep him leaning back against her. "Marin, what happened? And I'm sorry, but who are you?" he asked, glancing up suspiciously at the man.

"My name's Papahl. I live up on the hill," the man replied, nodding backwards to indicate the general direction of his house. "Those tykes are two of my boys, Toko and Koko."

"Link, you just… you passed out cold with no warning at all," Marin explained. "It was so scary. I was singing, and then I heard this awful noise. You collapsed in a heap. I think you hit your head, too. I tried to wake you up, but you weren't moving, and your breathing was so shallow. I didn't know what to do-"

"She came running up the hill screaming for help. 'Bout scared me half to death. I thought the village was under attack by Moblins," Papahl said, shaking his head a bit as he let out a chuckle.

 _Moblins? Here?_ Link thought to himself.

"Well, that about explains my part in all o' this. My boys beat me down here. Sorry if they startled you. They're harmless, most of the time," he added with a chuckle.

"I'm sure," Link muttered, rubbing the back of his head. Sure enough, he felt a lump starting to form.

"Hrmm. You seem to be okay now, from the looks of things. You're up of your own power. No slurred words, eyes are clear and focused, and no blood," Papahl said, nodding in satisfaction.

Link shook his head, scowling a bit. "I can't believe I just passed out like that. That's very unlike me. I'm sorry for scaring you, Marin."

"Link, don't apologize! It's my fault. I shouldn't have dragged you out here."

"Marin, is this the lad your father told me about?" Papahl asked, giving Link a long look. Marin just gave him a slow nod. "Thought so. I reckon it's exhaustion what caused the passing out. Too much overexertion of the body. The mind might be ready, but the body still needs rest."

"Well… this _is_ the first he's really been out and about since we found him," Marin admitted slowly. "And again, I should be the one to blame. I should never have taken you out this far, Link. I'm so, so sorry."

"Marin, it's fine. Quit apologizing," Link said, giving her a warm smile.

"C'mon, let's get you back on your feet," Papahl offered, pushing himself back up off of the ground. He held out a hand to Link.

Link instinctively moved to hold out his left hand and cursed under his breath as he remembered that it was still useless. Sighing, he instead held out his right hand. Papahl appeared to have the strength of three men and hauled Link back up onto his feet with impressive swiftness. Having twins to chase around must really keep him on his toes. "Thanks," he remarked.

Papahl looked thoughtful for a moment before resting both of his hands on Link's shoulders. "I haven't seen you move your left arm at all yet," he commented. "Did you hurt it in your fall? Can you move it at all? Wiggle your fingers any? What can you feel?"

"Uh… erm…" Link started to try and explain what he felt, which was the absolute opposite of 'feel.'

Marin, who had also stood up, stood by Link's side and worriedly crossed her arms. "He hasn't been able to move it or feel it since we found him. I'm not sure if something happened to him when he washed up, or if something happened to him before. I was actually going to come and see you tomorrow, to see if you could have a look at it. I'm afraid I don't know much at all about setting broken bones and sprains."

"Try having quadruplets. You'll learn mighty fast," Papahl chuckled.

"Quad- quadruplets?!" Link exclaimed, his mouth hanging wide open in disbelief. "Did you say quadruplets?!"

"Yessiree," he replied with a grin. "Boys, quit rough-housing and get over here!" he suddenly shouted over his shoulder without even looking in the direction of Toko and Koko, one of whom had just knocked the other one into the ground and was about to bodyslam into him.

The boys, who each had dirt smeared across his face, came dashing over to Papahl's side. One of them leaned forward and pointed at Link's bare feet. "How come you're runnin' around in your bare feet, mister?"

"How come you're wearin' a dress?" the other one asked.

The tips of Link's ears turned red as he automatically glanced down at the nightgown he was wearing. Marin gasped and looked quite mortified. Her eyes locked onto Papahl, as if eager to see how he was going to react.

Something about Papahl's demeanor suddenly changed. The smile on Papahl's face remained, but the rest of his features quickly turned rather dark and threatening. Even Link felt a chill run down his back. "Boys, what do we say about thinking before we speak?"

The boy on the left looked thoughtful for a moment. "Uhh… that… we shouldn't just blab out the first thing that pops into our heads?"

"We shouldn't say mean things even they're true?" the other asked.

Papahl sighed, groaned, and then simply just gave up and shook his head. "Why don't you both just run along home. Tell your mother I'll be up shortly. And if you see Roko, tell him to head home, too."

"Okay. Bye, mister! Hope your head doesn't hurt!" the first boy said, giving Link a thumbs up.

"Glad you're not dead!" the other boy shouted, waving as he ran after his brother.

Papahl watched the boys run into the field, shaking his head as one of them picked up a stick and hurled it straight at the other one's head. Their shouting carried on long after they had vanished into the field off in the distance. "I apologize. I promise, they mean well, they truly do," Papahl said with a groan.

"It's fine. They're just kids," Link laughed. "Reminds me a little of…" His voice trailed off as he thought of the Colin and the other children of Ordon. A sadness he couldn't hide spread across his features.

"Reminds you of who, Link?" Marin asked softly.

Link shook his head and cleared his throat softly. "Ah, never mind."

Papahl simply shrugged. "In any case, may I see that left hand of yours?"

Glancing at Marin, who gave him an encouraging nod, Link nodded as well. "Sure. I'm afraid I… I can't move it at all." Admitting it out loud was hard, but there. He said it.

With surprising gentleness, Papahl pulled Link's left hand into his own hand. He began gingerly trying to move Link's fingers, though he was careful not to disturb the bandages Marin had carefully wrapped around his hand. "Can you feel any movement? Anything at all?" he asked as he wiggled two of Link's fingers.

"No," he admitted slowly.

Letting out a thoughtful sigh, Papahl started squeezing Link's fingers together, then slowly started working his way up the wrist and lower arm. "How about that? Anything?"

A sick look was beginning to form on Link's face as he realized that Papahl could of more than likely stabbed him straight through the arm with a dagger and he wouldn't had had the foggiest idea that he had even been bumped. "N-No. Nothing."

"Hmm," Papahl murmured, stroking his chin. "Well, I don't feel anything obviously broken, but without taking a closer look, I'm afraid I can't be of much more help. I don't like that you have no feeling from at least the elbow down. I won't mince words with you - that's not good, son. Not good at all."

Link gulped audibly.

"Marin, I'm guessing you're the one who put these bandages on. Did you see any obvious signs of injury or trauma? Any blood?"

Marin cleared her throat softly and slipped a hand around Link's back. "Papahl, it's getting late, and I'm sure Link is beyond tired. Do you mind walking us back home, just in case he passes out again? I'm sure he'll be fine, but I'd feel better if you were with us. And then maybe tomorrow you can come and have a proper look at his hand."

"I suppose you're right. I can probably swing by in the morning before I head out. Link, you think you're okay to walk?" Papahl asked.

"I think so," Link stated.

"Come on, Link. Let's go home," Marin whispered softly, giving him a soft, reassuring smile as she slipped around to his right side.

Without another word, the odd trio started a slow walk back down the small hill and away from the Flying Rooster. Marin kept a gentle hand wrapped around Link's waist. Link kept his good arm resting on her shoulder as they walked. Only once did his legs nearly give out on him, but he quickly caught himself and lied about stumbling over a rock. Papahl made a surprisingly witty remark about the importance of owning a good pair of boots, which made Link decide that the man was trustworthy enough.

Marin and Papahl continued making polite chitchat on the way back to Marin's, which was all fine and good for Link. The Hylian had a lot on his mind to digest and was looking forward to climbing back into bed and not facing the mysteries of this world for at least another couple of hours.

 _Was it just my imagination, or did Marin seem to avoid answering Papahl's question about what my hand looks like under all of these bandages?_

As the sun began to sink below the horizon, what looked to be a large crow lazily flapped its wings as it flew in several circles over the tiny village. It sunk lower and lower until it finally landed right on top of the Flying Rooster statue. It shook itself off, throwing off what looks like flecks of dirt and dust.

Instead of falling to the ground, however, the square-shaped black specks simply floated upwards, lazily spinning around until they faded out of sight...


	11. Chapter 10

~Chapter 10~

Night settled across the island, bringing nothing but a long, restless night for Link.

No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get comfortable. Thoughts raced through his brain like starving cats chasing down a mouse. The more he tried to silence his mind, the faster his mind invented question after question.

Where was he?

How did he get here?

Why couldn't he clearly remember what he had been doing before he had entered into Castle Town a few days ago?

At least that part he could remember. Many moons had passed since he had returned home to Ordon after his many adventures and finally returned the Blade of Evil Bane's to its proper place in the Sacred Grove, hidden deep in the heart of Faron Woods. He remembered first finding it, trapped in the shape of a beast, with Midna by his side.

… and he remembered returning there alone.

It wasn't until the sky started to turn into that blazing golden aura of oranges, yellows, and pinks and twilight descended across the land that Link finally stood up and walked away from the sword that had helped him save Hyrule.

It had taken some time, but he had made his peace with the events of the past. As far as he had been concerned, that was where everything should remain - in the past. He very well might have been a Hero in the eyes of many, but he was just as happy to return to his simple life in Ordon Village.

The children settled back into the daily routine of things so quickly that sometimes, it was like nothing had ever happened. Talo ran circles around the other children, waving every stick he could get his hands on around like it was the greatest sword ever hammered out. Beth always rolled her eyes and scoffed about Talo's childish behavior, but Link started noticing the little sideway glances she kept giving to him when he wasn't paying attention. Malo… well, to be honest, Link wasn't quite sure what that boy was up these days. For all he knew, he was somehow still managing to run both the storefront in Kakariko Village and Castle Town clear from Ordon Village. As for Colin, he was more than happy to take on the role of Big Brother, and Link couldn't have been prouder of his little best friend. At least once a week, Colin, accompanied by his mother, would bring his little sister up to visit the ranch.

Ilia came by much more often than she used to in the past. Her near-death adventures and long bout of amnesia had changed her, but in a good way. The subject came up casually enough once, as the two of them were visiting the Ordon Spring. She was brushing out Epona's coat while watching Link snooze in a bed of moss when she mentioned how terrifying it had been to wake up and not even know your own name. It made her realize how important it was to live each day to the fullest, she had said quietly. But the most important lesson she had taken away from everything, she had said, was to never take anything for granted, and that included time spent with friends and family.

Link couldn't have agreed more.

A squirrel jumped out of a nearby tree and landed right on Epona's head, spooking the poor mare, and with much splashing, shouting, and chasing, the tenderness of the moment was gone. The subject had never come back up, and so that was where Link had left it.

Goat herding was nothing compared to slaying monsters, wrestling Gorons, chasing ghosts, and sledding down icy, treacherous mountain passes at breakneck speeds on a frozen leaf… but it was a simple, rather mindless task that Link happened to be very good at. Just as the children settled back into their normal routines, so, too, did Link find himself easing back into the everyday swing of things.

It had been a day just like any other when the letter had arrived, hand-delivered by a small squad of soldiers ("real soldiers, Dad, with swords and armor and horses and everything I saw them!" Colin had exclaimed when Rusl had returned from his forest patrol). The details were vague enough - some sort of matter of security and secrecy that couldn't be discussed out in the open, was all that the Captain had mentioned - but the seal and the signature were real enough. Link's presence, along with the Master Sword, were requested in Hyrule Castle as soon as possible. Link explained, as discreetly as possible, that he would have to fetch the sword from its resting place and needed at least a day to prepare. Ordon wasn't exactly used to hosting company of any size, least of all a small army (Beth insisted it was an army, much to Malo's annoyance), so the Captain told Link he would send word ahead to the princess and prepare the preparations ("How do you even prepare preparations? Isn't that an oxymoron?" Malo grumbled, thinking nobody heard him).

And so, in a whirlwind of actions (and an earful of complaints from the children about not being allowed to go), Link found himself back in the eerily silent Sacred Grove. There was a brief moment of hesitation when he thought that maybe the Master Sword wouldn't respond to him. After all, he was no longer a man trapped by darkness and bound as a beast. There wasn't currently a major threat to Hyrule - at least, he certainly hoped not. Dark beasts hadn't ransacked the village and kidnapped anyone or anything. It was the sword who chose its master, or so the legends went. Was Link still worthy of carrying such a blade?

His hand wrapped around the hilt of the sword and it was like coming home again. The soft, yet sharp sound of the metal sliding smoothly out of the pedestal rang through the forest, and it was the sweetest melody Link had ever heard in his entire life. He smiled as he held the blade loosely in his left hand, closing his eyes and allowing himself to just _be_.

"Can't sleep?"

The unexpected voice snapped him out of his reverie. "Marin!" Link gasped, clasping his right hand over his chest while his poor heart settled back down.

"Sorry," Marin apologized, flashing him a meek smile. She was standing behind the bed, leaning down over the headboard. Her silky smooth red hair slipped over her shoulders and cascaded forward like a waterfall. "Sorry," she whispered a second time. "I didn't mean to startle you. I saw you tossing and turning and thought you might be awake, too."

"Aye," Link admitted, finding himself staring up into her big, blue eyes. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I…" Her voice trailed off into the night. Marin exhaled sharply, then turned to walk around and sit at the foot of Link's bed. She was wearing a long, sleeveless pink gown that came down almost to her knees. She stared down at her bare toes, which were wiggling around as if they were keeping time to a melody only Marin could hear. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but after a moment of silence, she let out a high-pitched bark of a laugh, then quickly clamped her hands over her mouth as if appalled by the sound she had just made.

"Marin?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized again. "I shouldn't have bothered you, especially with something so… silly."

"It's no bother. I was already awake," he pointed out.

"I feel so childish for admitting it, but…" she paused, then turned to him as she scratched the back of her head. "I had a bad dream, and it was so scary that I just had to get up and walk around a bit to reassure myself that I'm not still trapped in the dream."

That was it? Despite himself, Link smiled. "There's nothing at all childish about admitting that," he reassured her.

"You really think so?"

"Yes," Link said, nodding. "Sometimes, dreams can be more terrifying than reality. In dreams, we're forced to face our worst fears, our biggest enemies, our deepest regrets. Dreams can make us relive the worst moments of our lives, but in a dream, those moments can get stretched out of proportion and twisted all up until they morph into true nightmares. Sometimes, our imagination can be our biggest enemy," he spoke, his voice low and soft. After a thoughtful pause, he glanced back up at Marin. "There's nothing shameful about admitting that a nightmare frightened you. Nothing at all."

"That's sweet of you to reassure me of such a thing." Marin gave him a soft smile. She brushed some loose strands of hair back behind her ears. "Hey, since we're both awake, do you want to see something really beautiful?"

Confused by the sudden conversation switch, Link tilted his head to one side a bit. "Uhh… sure?"

Marin gave him a big smile as she slid off the side of his bed and grabbed his good hand in one beautiful, fluid motion, giving his arm . "Come on, get up."

Link allowed himself to be pulled up and out of bed by the redhead. His bare feet hit the cold floor, sending a shudder down his back. "Get up? Marin, it's the middle of the night. Where are we-"

"Shh," Marin whispered, winking at him as she held up a silencing finger to her lips. "You'll wake Tarin up if you talk much louder than this."

"Marin, where are you-"

"Ssh!" she hushed him again, giggling softly. "Trust me, it's worth seeing."

Shrugging, Link was pulled along once more as Marin charged ahead forward without saying where they were going. Thankfully, it was nothing like their earlier adventure. This time, she took him only as far as the window.

"Look, Link," she whispered, slipping her arm past him to slowly lift the curtain up.

A single beam of brilliant, radiant silver light flooded into the cottage. Link couldn't help but wince from the sudden brightness of the moonlight.

"The moon just started to rise up out of the ocean. It'd be much more impressive if we were actually down on the shore, but… well, maybe there'll be another time in the future for that," Marin whispered as a faint blush spread across her face. "Still, even from up here, it sure is beautiful."

"It's very beautiful," Link agreed.

"Come on," she coaxed, reaching down for his hand once more. "Peeking at it from the window doesn't do it justice."

Link didn't have time to argue before he found himself in front of the door. "Marin, I'm sure it's just as beautiful from the inside as it is the outside. I really think we ought to get back to-"

"Oh, come on, don't be such a stick in the mud," she quipped, sticking her tongue out a bit at him. "Just one minute. Trust me, the view will take your breath away."

Link sighed, utterly defeated by her enthusiasm. "Fine. Just one minute."

Smiling brightly, Marin spun around so that her back was against the wall. Her hand rested on the door handle. "Are you ready?"

"Sure," Link said, finding himself unable to keep the smile off his face. Marin's giddiness was contagious.

"Ta-da!"

The door swung open with a low, loud creak. Link took his first step outside, fully expecting to be engulfed by silver moonlight and the sight of a large full moon rising up into the sky.

Darkness greeted him instead.

Where before there had been moonlight, there was blackness. The stars and the clouds were gone from the sky, which was black. In front of the cottage was a darkness so pitch black that he couldn't see more than five feet in front of him. The rest of the quiet, sleepy little town was nowhere to be seen.

"What the-?!"

The darkness, tinged with an eerie orange glow around its edges, swarmed closer and closer. The fence around the cottage, the grass, the pebbles, the seashells Marin had so lovingly placed against the faded, painted boards of her home, everything was swallowed up in the abyss. It was impossible to even tell the edges of where the ground met the sky.

From behind him came the unnerving sound of Marin giggling. "Isn't it beautiful, Link?" she asked in a low, sultry, singsong voice.

Link whirled around, gasping in alarm as he noticed that Marin's eyes were blank and white. A twisted, sadistic smile was on her face as she ran her hand over the edge of the door.

"Marin?!"

In response, Marin started laughing maniacally as she shut the door on him.

Link realized what she was doing a moment too late. He grabbed the door handle just as she locked it. Growling, he started banging on the door. "Marin, open up! Let me in! What in Hylia's name is going on?!"

He could hear her laughing from behind the door and spat out a curse. "Marin! MARIN!" he continued shouting, as if it would help.

Above him, he heard a foreign yet familiar noise. It sounded rather like a deep, warbling bugle. His ears perked up as he heard the very distinct sound of flapping, leathery wings.

"What in the world? No… it can't be," he whispered in terror, staring up into the black sky with wide eyes.

This distraction was all it took for him to not notice the ominous glowing pink circular portal that had materialized in front of him. The portal rippled. Floating through the portal came a very large black hand, covered in glowing pink, complex looking runes.

Movement caught Link's attention. The Hylian looked up just in time to see the hand lunging towards him with impressive speed. Caught completely off-guard, the arm grabbed him tightly around the torso, pinning his right arm to his side, but leaving his broken left arm dangling free. Grunting, squirming, and kicking were all the Hero could do in order to make an effort to escape the arm's grasp. The arm squeezed him tighter and tighter, making it harder and harder to breathe.

Marin was suddenly looming over him, laughing like a complete maniac.

"M-Marin?!"

She had a knife in her hand!

"Marin, stop!"

Cackling, she raised her knife up high and stabbed it straight down into the center of Link's left hand.

A stabbing, burning, pain shot through his entire body. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound at all came out. He gave one final hard jerk to his right in a last-ditch effort to break free of the strange black hand's grasp and get away from Marin. It worked! He was falling and falling hard. The ground was cold and hard, and it felt as if he had just face-planted into an iceberg.

"Link!"

"AHH!" Link screamed as he felt Marin place a hand on his shoulder. He wrenched away from her. "Don't touch me!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down!" Marin cried out as she ducked away from an oncoming smack from Link and his good arm.

"Calm down?! CALM DOWN?! You just STABBED me-"

"Stabbed you?!"

"Yes, with a knife, right after you-"

"Link, no I didn't!"

"Yes you did!" Link shouted, grabbing his left arm and holding up to see that there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, minus the bandages that were still wrapped around. The knife that had been lodged directly in the center of his hand was gone. The blood that had come gushing out of his wound had vanished.

"Wait… what?"

For the first time, Link noticed that he was sprawled out on the floor of the tiny cottage. He was about three inches away from the bed with sheets entangled madly around his torso. Marin, holding a candle in one hand, was standing a few feet away from him with an incredibly alarmed look on her face. She was wearing a long blue nightgown that came down well below her knees, and she had what looked like a hand-knitted shawl draped over her shoulders.

"Link, are you sick? Is your fever back?" she asked, gulping as she bravely leaned forward to rest the back of her free hand against his forehead.

Link shook his head, ducking away from her hand as he carefully pushed himself up. "No, I'm fine. I just… I guess I was dreaming," he said slowly. His heart was pounding about ten thousand beats a minute.

"Sounds like an awful dream," Marin whispered, looking him over with consternation. "You said I… I _stabbed_ you?" She sounded slightly offended.

Link let out a deep sigh and shrugged. "Just in the hand. It wasn't a mortal blow."

Marin looked appalled. Apparently hearing that her dream self hadn't killed him didn't make her feel much better.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to wake you. It must be the middle of the night."

"It's okay. I heard you groaning and calling out in your sleep, and I was worried that your fever had come back. You've been so terribly sick the last few days, Link, and I was so afraid that I'd overdone it with you earlier." She frowned. "Are you sure you feel alright?"

"I'm fine. It was just a bad dream," Link said, doing his best to rearrange the sheets back onto the bed.

Marin waited until he climbed back into bed before coming over and forcefully checking his temperature. "Hmm… You feel a little cold and clammy, but it doesn't seem like you have a fever. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for checking on me," Link said, giving her a soft smile.

Marin smiled back. "Of course. Bad dreams are no laughing matter. Sometimes, dreams can be more terrifying than reality. Our imagination can be our biggest enemy."

Link swallowed hard.

"Well, good night. Sweet dreams."

Marin blew out the candle, leaving Link to stare at her form in the darkness with wide eyes.

 _Those were the same exact words he had spoken to her in his dream._


	12. Chapter 11

((Author's Note: For optimal enjoyment, listen to this while reading this chapter~))

~ Chapter 11~

A dull, sizzling sort of sound buzzed in and out of his ears as Link was slowly roused from a surprisingly deep sleep. At first, the only things he was really aware of were how soft and warm the blankets lumped on top of him were, how the lumpiness of the pillow his head was resting on was just right, how annoying the little bit of light streaming in through the cottage was, and how incredibly comfortable he was.

Was there anything pressing that required his immediate attention?

…

Nothing came to mind…

It was settled, then. Getting up was simply too much effort. Grunting softly to nobody in particular, the Hero shifted his weight a bit before settling back down for some more much-needed zzzs beneath Mt. Blanket. He had nearly dozed off again when something else caught his drowsy mind's attention.

Sweet, tender humming started mixing in with the sizzling sound. That in and of itself wasn't enough to rouse Link from his slumber, but with the humming came the smell of something utterly mouth-wateringly delicious. The aromatic scent wafted past him, bringing with it the fresh, crisp hint of something citric and the somewhat briny, salty whiff of something being roasted over an open fire.

With quite a bit of effort, the Hylian lifted one heavy eyelid and glanced around the cottage.

The cottage was empty, but the front door was propped open. The curtains had been tied back with thick rope, the kind that looked like should be used to tie up rigging, and sunbeams were pouring it, easily illuminated in some sort of mist.

No, not mist. Smoke. The whole room was a bit hazy looking from what Link assumed was quite a lively campfire.

Sitting up and running his right hand through his mop of thick, dirty blonde hair, Link let out a yawn that would rival a lion's. Neither Marin nor Tarin were anywhere in sight, but he noticed that the small kitchen table had been set for two people. Salmon colored ceramic plates, metal utensils, and wooden cups rested on the hand-carved wooden table. A small basket of seashells and a vase of freshly-picked wildflowers served as table decorations.

Soft footsteps caught his attention. He turned towards the open doorway just as Marin strolled in, carrying a large, steaming bowl of something that smelled heavenly. She was wearing another blue dress (was it the same one she had been wearing yesterday? Did the girl own anything that wasn't blue?) and had a white apron tied neatly into place.

Marin jumped a bit when she glanced over and saw Link, draped in blankets, staring sleepily at her. "Link! You're awake!"

"Mmmph… morning," he mumbled, yawning a second time.

Marin chuckled softly and continued over towards the kitchenette. "I guess yesterday's adventure really tuckered you out. You slept like a log! Especially true, since you rolled straight out of your bed and nearly gave me a heart attack," she pointed out with a giggle.

Link blinked twice. "Rolled out of…?"

"Don't you remember?" she asked, turning to give him a wide smile. "You said you had some sort of awful nightmare - apparently I stabbed you, can you believe it? - but after you got back into bed you fell right back to sleep."

"Hmm… now that you mention it, I do remember something like that," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. He did recall bits and pieces of the nightmare Marin spoke it, but now that he was awake, he was having trouble remembering just exactly what had happened in the dream and what had happened when he had been awake.

"Breakfast will be done shortly. I'm just waiting on the fish to finish cooking all the way through. You _do_ like fish, right? I imagine so. I don't anybody who lives on all of Koholint who doesn't like fish," she said off-handedly as she busied herself stirring whatever was in her bowl.

"Koholint?" Link repeated.

"The island, silly," Marin giggled. "You really aren't a morning person, huh?"

"Mmph," was his reply, which was promptly swallowed up by yet another impressive yawn. "Oh. Mm-hmm. Island. RIght, right."

"I'll be right back," Marin called, setting the bowl down on the counter and wiping her hands on her apron before skipping lightly back towards the front door.

Link didn't have long to wait before Marin came back in, this time carrying a large tray of several tantalizing looking grilled fish. He started to drool the second he laid eyes on them.

"Marin, those smell amazing!" he practically purred.

"Oh, thank you. I didn't do much special to make them. They're more or less just salt-grilled Skippyjacks."

Wondering if he had heard her right, he tilted his head slightly to one side. "Skippy… jacks?"

Marin set the tray down a bit harder than she intended to and gave him an odd look. "Yes, Skippyjacks. You _do_ know what Skippyjacks are, don't you?" she asked rather indignantly, almost as if Link had said he didn't know what shoes were.

"Uhh… well, I have to admit, I don't know many fish by name, but rather by their looks. And tastes," he quickly added, hoping the little white lie would convince her that of course he knew what a 'skippy jack' was.

Marin rolled her eyes, shook her head slightly in disbelief, then turned back to her fish as she began to slice them up like an expert.

"They're those little blue fish that are everywhere. They're incredibly common, but they're delicious. Trust me, if you cast a line anywhere along the beach, you'll catch at least a dozen of these little guys."

"Oh, right. Those ones. That's what I thought you meant," he said, albeit a little too quickly.

"Uh-huh. Sure," was all Marin responded with.

Link laughed nervously and decided to just let the whole fishy conversation slide.

Marin, still humming to herself, walked over to the table and picked up both of the plates. "Oh, did you even notice your arm?"

"Eh?" Link pulled his right arm out of the blankets and looked down at it in confusion.

"Your other arm, silly. The banged-up one," Marin laughed.

Link let the blanket slide down off of his shoulders and, for the first time, noticed that his left arm was now wrapped in much thicker bandages than it was before. The bandages were wrapped nice, tight, and neat. The bandages Marin had wrapped around his arm at first had been much looser and not quite as tidy looking. This bandage job looked to have been done by some sort of professional doctor. The ends of his four fingers and his thumb only barely just stuck out of the end of the bandages, and the thick encasing of bandages ran clear up to his elbow.

"What the…?"

Marin giggled. "Papahl came over at the crack of dawn. You were sawing logs. Don't ask me how, but he somehow managed to slip your arm out from under all those blankets, take off my bandage job, clean up your arm, set a splint in place around your wrist, and wrap it all up without you even so much as making a grunt!"

Link looked astonished. "Are you serious?"

"Yes! He said he's had lots of practice doing sneaky things like that with his boys. He said something like, 'Just you wait, Miss Marin. You think sneaking a tooth off from under a pillow and leaving a few rupees behind from the Tooth Fairy is hard enough with one boy and one tooth, just you wait until you have four of 'em all at once in a dark room scattered with the sharpest, pointiest blocks you'd ever set your eyes on,'" she laughed.

"Well… geez," was all Link could think to say. It worried him slightly that he hadn't even woken up while someone did something so complicated to his arm, but he _had_ been exhausted. "I wanted to get a good look at my arm when he came over and looked at it. Did he say anything? Did you get a good look at it?"

Marin scrunched her nose up and looked repulsed. "Oh, goodness, no. I-I mean, I saw it the first time and it was bad enough - no offense. I think I only managed to clean it and wrap it all up because I was on some sort of adrenaline rush. I'm, er, I'm not the best with blood and things like that," she admitted.

Link grimaced. "Is it… Is it really that bad?"

"No!" she answered a little too quickly.

"Come on. Be honest with me," he said, trying to cross his arms. He forgot that he couldn't really move his left arm much, so it just made for an awkward gesture across his chest with his right arm.

Marin shrugged. "I really don't know, Link. All Tarin said-"

"Tarin?"

"Yes, Tarin was helping. Honestly, you could sleep through a hurricane," Marin pointed out with a chuckle. "Anyway, all Tarin said was that he's seen worse, and Papahl said he doesn't _think_ anything is broken, but your wrist sure looked swollen. He cleaned up the cuts and everything and there wasn't any infection that he mentioned. He fashioned up a split and set your wrist, and he said to leave it alone for at least a week. If it is broken or sprained, trying to move it will only set back the healing process. Oh, and he brought you a sling to use, too. It's nothing fancy, but it will do the job."

Link let out a dejected sigh as he looked down at his poor, useless, limp left hand. "Well… all right. I guess there's nothing I can really do about it right now."

"There is _something_ you can do…" Marin turned around and grinned at him.

"Oh? And what's that?"

Winking, she held out a plate filled with freshly-grilled slices Skippyjack, glazed apples, and a steaming hot roll. "You can come and eat so you can regain your strength!"

Link couldn't help but smile. "That I can absolutely do," he laughed as he headed over to the table.


	13. Chapter 12

~ Chapter 12 ~

Link cursed under his breath for the eleventh time in a row. Growing frustrated, he took a break from the difficult task at hand, closed his eyes, forced himself to take a deep breath in, then counted backwards from five. He was not usually one to become so frustrated, but he used this trick often when he found himself at his wit's end.

"Grah. Stupid buckles," he grumbled, glaring down at his boots.

Doing things one-handed was not easy.

At least his hat was easy enough to put on. As he did his best to adjust it into place, he glanced at his own reflection in the small mirror Marin had left propped up on the dresser for him to use. As he stared at himself, an odd thought suddenly occurred to him - where had he even picked up the habit of the counting backwards from five thing from? He stroked the bottom of his chin as he pondered over trying to remember just where he had picked up the odd habit from.

"Are you done yet? Come on, at the rate you're moving, the sun is going to set before we even leave the house!"

Marin's overly-chipper voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Almost ready," he called back, running his fingers through his bangs.

"Can I come in, at least?"

"Sure. I'm dressed. Well, mostly," he added as he heard the door creak open.

"Ooh!" Marin remarked, clasping her hands together in front of her.

Link whirled around, perking an eyebrow up at Marin. "Hmm?"

"Green really suits you," she said with a giggle.

He shrugged and turned back to the mirror, still unsatisfied with the way his bangs seemed to be defying gravity. "I guess I do wear a lot of green."

"Looks like something's not quite right, though," Marin pointed out. She leaned over the bed and noticed that his belt had been tossed haphazardly across the room. His boots looked as if they had been kicked up against the dresser, too. She couldn't help but giggle softly. "Buckles giving you some problems?"

Scowling, Link said nothing.

Marin rolled her eyes and walked over to pick up the belt. "It's okay to admit that you need some help, you know. I won't think that you're weak or feeble or anything like that."

Link sighed softly, but still said nothing.

Marin stood besides him, holding out the belt. "I'm sorry I giggled. Look how much you managed on your own! Buckles are hard enough with two working hands, too. Come on, let me help you."

Link sighed again, but this time he nodded. "All right," he said after a long pause.

Smiling, Marin very gently slipped his belt through his belt loops and slid it into place. Mindful of where her hands were, she slipped the end of his belt through the buckle and made it just snug enough that it held everything in place. "There we go. How's that? It's not too tight, is it?"

"No, it's fine," Link said, a half smile flashing across his face. "Thank you," he added softly.

She smiled brightly at him, reaching up to adjust his collar. "You're very welcome. If you sit down, I can help you with your shoes, too."

"I feel like a toddler," Link admitted, laughing a bit as he sat down on the bed.

"At least you're not throwing a temper tantrum," Marin pointed out, giggling as she helped slip his boots on and buckle them up. "Hey, I just had a thought. Maybe we can swing by the store on our way back and see if they have any simple shoes that might fit you. Ones without buckles."

"What, you mean like sandals?" Link sneered scrunching his nose up in disgust. Adventuring all over creation had rather turned the Hero off of the idea of leaving his toes exposed to things like lava and zombified flesh-eating fish.

Marin rolled her eyes and gave his knee a playful smack. "Oh my goodness, don't sound like such a prima donna. I just meant _something temporary_ you can wear that you can slip on and off while your arm is healing! Unless you want to spend an hour every single day trying to get your boots on all by yourself. I'm only being nice to you today - this isn't going to become a habit," she teased, smiling as she stood up and brushed her hands off on her dress. "Besides, boots are good for tromping around in the swamp or the forest, but I don't think you're going to be doing very much of that any time soon," she pointed out.

"Fair point," he begrudged.

Giggling, Marin held out her hand. "Come on. It's a bit of a walk from here to the beach. I want you to take it nice and slow, too, especially after what happened yesterday."

Link gripped her hand with his good hand and pulled himself up, only wobbling ever so slightly before catching his balance. "Yesterday?"

Her eyebrows lowered as she gave him a long look. "You know, that lovely little stroll we took a whole twenty feet away from here up to the plaza where you passed out for no reason whatsoever?"

"... Oh, right. I guess that was yesterday, wasn't it?" he laughed embarrassedly. "Sorry. I seem to have completely lost my ability to keep track of what day and time it is."

Marin grabbed the sling Papahl had left for Link off of the small nightstand and, ignoring his protesting, slipped it on over him while he was busy apologizing. "Being stuck inside will do that to you. That's why I want to get you outside in the fresh air for a good, long while today… but only if you're feeling up to it." She gently took hold of his broken, useless arm and slipped it to rest against his chest in the sling. After adjusting it a bit, she met his eyes. "Link, please be honest with me. Are you _sure_ you're feeling well enough to head out?"

Link nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "Yes. Yesterday was a fluke thing. I feel much better today than I did yesterday." Marin still didn't look all that convinced, so Link rested his hand on her shoulder. "If at any point I feel sick or dizzy, I'll let you know. We can take it nice and slow. That's no problem at all."

"Well, okay," Marin replied. "You're absolutely, positively sure that you're feeling up to this?"

"Yes," he answered a second time, his voice turning serious. "This is something I need to do. If I'm ever going to figure out how to get back home, I need to see the place where you found me."

Marin pursed her lips together, but said nothing. Instead, she simply turned and walked towards the door. Pulling the door open, she stood to the side and held it open for Link. "All right, then. Let's get going."

Outside the cozy little seaside cottage, a gentle breeze rustled through the trees and the bushes. A dark shape stirred from the shadows just as two figures walked below the limbs. A large, black bird lazily flapped its wings and hopped down onto a lower branch, where it then took a few cautious steps forward. It stopped several inches away from a shaft of sunlight shining through the leaves.

The bird watched as the man and woman walked together, arm in arm, down the small hill leading away from the cottage. Letting out an odd squawk, it flapped its leathery wings together and fluttered down onto the ground, landing in the shadow of the tree. Bits of square-shaped flecks of blackness fluttered upwards and into the air behind it.

A deep growl caught the bird's attention. Squawking curiously, it spun its head left and right. A brown dog rounded the corner of the house, hackles raised and fangs bared. The bird froze rigid as the dog crept closer and closer, its growl growing more and more menacing.

Something about the bird was very offsetting to the dog, and the dog was not about to sit around and let this strange creature go running amuck. With little warning, the dog let out a fierce bark and pounced! Its sharp fangs caught nothing but air as the bird fluttered back up to the safety of the higher branches at the last possible instant, squawking angrily as it retreated back into the shadows.

Furious at the missed opportunity to rip the strange bird to shreds, the dog ran in several circles around the tree, barking its head off. It stopped after about the eighteenth circuit and then attempted to climb the tree. Unfortunately, paws were not made for climbing, so the best the dog could do was brace its front legs up against the tree and continue to bark a series of threats at the strange bird.

The bird, for its part, let out what sounded very much like an angry hiss at the dog, before it settled back into the shadows of the tree, where it blended in so well it practically faded away from sight.

Just as they were passing by Old Man Ulrira's house, Link paused and turned his head back towards the cottage. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Marin.

"That," Link said, scratching his head as he tried to decipher the strange noises he could hear. It sounded like growling… growling and something else he couldn't quite make out.

"That? What? I don't hear anything," Marin said, as for the moment there was no trace of the strange noise.

"Just a minute ago, I could have sworn I heard... " His voice trailed off as he closed his eyes and focused on the sound of a distant dog's bark.

Marin frowned. "Do you mean the dog?"

"No. Well, yes. I mean, I hear the dog," he said, shaking his head. "But besides the dog, there was something else."

Marin shrugged. "I didn't hear anything. All I hear now is the dog."

Link tilted his head to the side, staring backwards at the cottage. "Huh… That almost sounded like…"

"I didn't hear anything. I think your ears are playing tricks on you. They're not used to hearing weird things like wind," she said, giggling softly as she tugged playfully at his sleeve.

Rolling his eyes at her, he playfully batted her hand away. "Yeah, yeah. I wasn't lying around in bed _that_ long."


	14. Chapter 13

~Chapter 13~

"He really won't?"

Marin nodded rather solemnly. She and Link were passing the house closest to where she and Tarin called home. It was nestled at the bottom of a hill, surrounded by trees on one half of the house and bordered by a quaint little stone wall. An older woman was outside, sweeping leaves away from her front porch.

"Good morning, Marin! Setting off late today, are we?" the old woman called out as she glanced up and caught sight of the two youngsters.

Marin smiled pleasantly, waving back. "Good morning, Mrs. Ulrira! This one's finally decided to get out of bed!"

"H-Hey! Don't go making it sound like I'm some lazy, good-for-nothing freeloader!" Link shouted.

The old woman cackled. "Oh, don't you worry, my dear. Everyone this side of the island has heard about your story so far."

Link blinked. "My… story?"

"You're famous, my boy! It's not every day a strange lad just washes up on our shores! You're the talk of the town! My husband's been fielding questions left and right about you. It's a wonder the whole village hasn't become some sort of spectacle by now," she laughed.

"Even Richard inquired about it, can you believe it?"

"Really! Fancy that. I didn't even know Richard paid attention to anything that happened outside of his walls. Oh, my goodness, if even Richard has been asking questions, Mr. Ulrira must be quite busy," Marin replied politely.

"Oh, you know how he is. When everyone considers you the Walking Encyclopedia On Anything and Everything, you can barely catch a break."

"I can imagine!"

Link was completely lost. His eyes flickered back and forth from Marin and the old woman, who was apparently none other than the infamous Mrs. Ulrira Marin had just been telling him about, as the two of them continued to chat.

"Well, how lovely to see you out and standing on your own two feet, sonny boy."

"Oh. Uh, thank you," Link said, nodding politely.

"Go on. You get on out there and enjoy the day. Get some color on those pale cheeks of yours. The sun is gorgeous today!"

"Have a good day!" Marin called, waving back again.

As they walked away, Link gave Marin a perplexed stare. "Am I missing something here?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head to one side as she looked him right in the eyes with her piercing sapphire eyes.

"You just said that Mr. Ulrira doesn't talk to people, right?"

"Nope. The poor dear is so shy and backwards that he can barely get a word out to anyone who tries to talk to him in person! Well, except his wife, of course."

Link looked completely flabbergasted. "Wha… But… Then how has he been fielding questions for days?"

"On the phone, of course!" Marin laughed.

"The what?" Link repeated, looking and sounding more confused than ever.

Marin rolled her eyes and sighed. "You really must have hit your head hard. The phone! There are phones all over the place, silly, even in some of the most remote and impractical locations there are. I'm not about to claim that I've been everywhere, but I've traveled a lot, and I've never been anywhere that wasn't within walking distance to some sort of phone somewhere."

"A… phone," Link said again, slowly. Frowning, he scratched the back of his head. "I am absolutely positive that I-"

A sudden black whirl of motion out of the corner of his eyes caused Link to stop dead in his tracks. Time seemed to slow down as he turned away from Marin and towards his front. His ears twitched as they caught the start of a low, deep, sinister growl. The movement had come from a patch of tall, overgrown, and unkempt grasses. A massive black shape with fangs the size of tree branches appeared out of the center of the grass and came lurching straight towards them!

"MARIN LOOK OUT!" Link screamed, digging his heels into the ground and twisting himself sideways to push off and dive towards Marin to knock her to the ground and out of harm's way.

"What in the- Link?!" Marin shouted as Link tackled into her and knocked her over onto her back.

Metal chains clinked loudly together as the massive black thing was jerked backwards, held firmly in place by what was clearly the world's strongest chain. "Grrrrr!" it growled, backing up and lunging forward a second time. Its fangs snapped together several times, chomping at the empty air.

"Marin, don't move! Don't move a muscle!" Link whispered through clenched teeth, staring down the creature's giant, soul-piercing pure black eyes. He had never before seen anything like it! It was easily the size of a small house and appeared to be completely spherical. Strangely enough, it also appeared to be encased in some sort of metal sphere. Was it some sort of distant relationship to the Helmasaurs, those annoying little armored piglet-type creatures that had run rampant as darkness had stolen across most of Hyrule?

"Link!" Marin growled, trying to shove him off of her. "Get off of me! That's-"

"GRRRRRR!" the creature growled even louder, clearly dying to see what Link tasted like.

His eyes darted around, desperately searching for some sort of weapon, or maybe something, anything that could serve as a shield! He may be down an arm, but he wasn't about to go down without a fight. Even if he had his best equipment on him, though, would anything at all stand up to a beast like that?!

His eyes caught a small red ball resting in the grass besides him. Keeping an eye on the massive beast, he gingerly stretched his good arm out towards the ball.

"Link, get off! It's-"

"Ssh. Don't. Move," Link hissed, afraid that even the tiniest of movements would cause the demon to break the chain that held him in place. Oh, he was so close to the ball! His fingers were just an inch away! He tried to grab it, only to curse as he felt his fingertips brush against it and nudge it a few inches away.

Sighing deeply, Marin wrestled an arm free from beneath her and stuck two fingers in her mouth. A shrill whistle broke through the air.

"BowWow, it's time for lunch!" Marin called loudly.

The giant creature seemed to jerk itself upright, eyes opening wide. The corners of its ginormous mouth turned upwards into an absolutely nightmare-inducing smile.

"That's right, big boy, lunch! Lunchtime! Go on, go find Mama!" Marin called again, smiling brightly at BowWow.

"BOW WOW!" the creature shrieked, bouncing happily back into the grass, which in turn caused the ground to rumble softly with ever massive jump it took.

Link's jaw dropped open as he stared at the crushed grass.

Marin gave him a rather hard shove, knocking him over onto his back. Sighing a second time, she stood up and brushed herself off. "You didn't have to knock me over like that. Look, now there's wet grass all over me," she sulked, picking a long strand of grass out of her hair.

Mouth agape, Link just stared up at her, unable to quite find the words to describe the overabundance of thoughts and emotions he was currently experiencing.

Rolling her eyes, she reached a hand out to him. "I take it you've never seen a Bow-Wow before?"

"... Uhhh... Yeah, no. Marin, _what in Hylia's name WAS that thing?!"_ Link shouted, ignoring her hand.

"A Bow-Wow! They're kind of like a dog… er, kind of," she added with a little giggle as she grabbed Link's hand herself and pulled him up off of the ground.

"A dog?! A DOG?!" he clamored. "A dog has four legs! A dog has a tail! A dog has fur!"

"BowWow has fur. Lots of fur!" Marin informed him.

Link looked utterly flummoxed. "Fur?! That thing-"

"Bow-Wow," she interjected.

"-was a giant, hulking, metal death trap! If it hadn't been for that chain, that thing would have had us both for lunch!"

Instead of saying anything further, Marin simply smiled and shook her head. "Oh, BowWow is harmless. He's all bark. He only bites what he deems dangerous."

"Oh," Link scoffed sarcastically. "Well, gee, thanks, that's really reassuring. I feel completely better now," he huffed, frowning as he fiddled with adjusting his hat, which somehow had gotten turned sideways in all the commotion that BowWow had caused.

Marin shrugged and started walking again. "In all the years Madam Meowmeow has had all of her Bow-Wows, I can't think of any time they're ever bitten anyone or anything living in the village. Papahl's kids just love Bow-Wow. They play with him as often as they can. He's never bitten any of them before, even if they do antagonize him a bit. I think he's smart enough to know that they're just silly kids, though. Madam Meowmeow has him very well trained."

Link, who had taken two steps, stopped dead in his tracks again. A look of horror crossed his face once more. "Wait a second. Are you telling me that somebody actually owns that… that… that…"

"Come on, you can do it. Say it slowly. Bow… Wow," she said, enunciating each syllable.

Shooting her a dirty look, Link rested his good hand on his hip. "Somebody keeps that Bow-Wow as a pet?!"

"Yes. That's Bow-Wow, the biggest one. She has a few others, too. One of them, the little girl, is an absolute sweetheart," Marin said with a big, bright smile. "They're probably inside. Ooh! Would you like to meet them?"

"NO," he said, a little too loudly and a little too quickly. Clearing his throat, he brushed his bangs back out of his face. "Er, I mean… no, no, I'm… I'm good."

Giggling, Marin reached out for his hand. "Come on, then. Let's get you to the beach. You look like you could use it."


	15. Chapter 14

~ Chapter 14 ~

The rest of their journey through Mabe Village was, thankfully, uneventful.

Marin pointed out a few places of interest along the way, including a small library and a well (and although Link wasn't quite sure what made an old, abandoned looking well a 'point of interest,' he kept his opinions on the matter to himself). They passed by two of Papahl's boys throwing a ball around, then scared a small flock of birds off into the sky as Marin led him down a dirt path.

"How far is it to the beach?" Link asked curiously as they meandered down a hill.

"Mmm, not all that far. Why, are you feeling tired?" Marin paused at the bottom of the slope, stopping to wait for Link to catch up.

Link gave her what he hoped was a confident smile as he carefully navigated the steeper part of the path. "Nah, I feel fine. It's great to be outside stretching my legs. Being cooped up inside was really starting to get to me."

"I understand," Marin said, offering a hand to help Link step down around a large boulder. "Still, please let me know if this is too much. There are a lot of places we can stop and rest. I don't want you to overdo it. Your body is still pretty banged up, you know. It needs time to recover."

"I appreciate the concern," Link stated, showing off by jumping off of the top of the boulder and landing in a wobbly crouch. Grinning, he looked up just in time to see a very dramatic eye-roll from Marin. "Hey, what can I say? I'm a fast healer."

"Uh-huh. Just do me a favor and don't break your other hand," Marin sighed, crossing her arms as she strolled on forward. She paused at the edge of a rocky cliff, looking downward over the edge as if she was considering trying to jump down off of it. Glancing back at Link, she seemed to nix the idea in her mind and then continued walking towards a grassy field spotted with a few small trees.

Link laughed sheepishly. "I'm already down to one hand. Trust me, I have no intention of becoming completely useless."

"Oh, lucky me. Just what a girl wants to hear," Marin retorted with a soft giggle. "Now I only have to worry about you being semi-useless."

Jogging a bit to catch up with her, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Only for a little while, let's hope. I told you, I'm a fast healer. You said Papahl is the best there is at setting broken bones and sprains, right? With his fine craftsmanship of this temporary cast and my super-speedy healing powers, I should be back to normal in no-time flat."

"One can only hope," Marin replied, brushing her hair back out of her face as she turned to head down another hill. "Oh, watch your step. The gophers have been digging all sorts of holes around these parts lately. Some are so big, they're likely to swallow you up whole."

"Sounds like some big gophers," Link remarked as he walked around one of the large, gaping holes in the ground. Sure enough, it looked as if it went straight down for several very long feet. The bottom was lost in darkness. For all he knew, it could have been a five-foot drop or a fifty-foot drop. A chilling thought suddenly occurred to him. "Marin, er, you're sure these were gophers that made these holes, right? Not… Not those Bow-Wow creatures, right?" he asked, his eyes darting left and right as he suddenly felt extremely vulnerable wandering around out in the open with nothing but the clothes on his back.

Marin actually burst into laughter at the suggestion of a Bow-Wow digging a hole. "Really? A Bow-Wow? Just running around digging a hole? With what, its face? Oh, that's a good one," she wheezed, wiping a tear from her eye.

Sulking a bit, Link planted a hand on his hip. "It wasn't that funny," he grumbled quietly.

Still laughing, Marin waited for him to catch up. "Trust me, that's the funniest thing I've heard you say."

Link was trying to come up with a witty retort when a pleasantly warm breeze shifted the winds, bringing with it a change in how the air smelled. It seemed a curious thing to notice, but Link's past adventures had learned him much about relying on more than just his eyesight. Pausing, he took a moment to close his eyes and take a few cautious sniffs of the air. "Something smells… fishy."

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Marin turned around in confusion. "Fishy? How do you mean? Suspicious?"

"No. Like actual fish, but stronger than just the way a river smells. It smells salty. Almost tangy," he reported.

"Ah. That smell would belong to the sea," Marin replied with a giggle. "You'll be able to see it in a moment. It's just over this little bit of a ridge."

Even though the ocean was nowhere in sight yet, Link could hear the sound of the waves breaking against the shore. Although he had never been to an ocean before, waves were waves. The sound was reminiscent of his time spent at Lake Hylia. He had always thought the sight of so much water gathered in one place was quite the sight to behold, and nothing in Hyrule compared to watching the sun rise up and hit the surface of the water. As massive as Lake Hylia was, though, one could always see the far side of the shore from any spot on the lake. He tried to imagine what a "lake without end" would look like.

Anticipation was swelling inside of him like a wave about to crash against the shoreline. He hadn't yet said anything aloud about how anxious he was to reach the very spot Marin claimed to have found him washed up on the beach, but he was hopeful that returning to the spot would give him a clue as to how he wound up there. He was also praying to the goddesses that he would be able to locate the Master Sword. Being parted from it with no recollection of what had happened did not sit well with him at all.

As they continued walking, Link noticed that the ground beneath them was starting to grow softer. HIs feet sank further and further into the sandy soil. It reminded him of trekking through the desert. At least this short adventure wasn't being conducted in sweltering heat. The ground wasn't the only thing that had changed - the taller, leafier trees of the forest had been replaced by shorter trees with a single, branchless trunk. Large, ferny fronds were growing out from the very tops of them. They almost looked like a strange hybrid between a tree and a flower. He had never seen such strange, branchless trees before, and he wondered what made them grow that way. The forest shrubbery had also been swapped out for clumps of tall golden grasses clustered in bunches.

Marin climbed up on top of a sand dune, smiling as she brushed her fiery red hair back behind her ears in an effort to keep the wind from blowing it all over the place. "Welcome, Link, to Toronbo Shores. Or maybe I should be saying welcome back," she remarked with a soft giggle, holding out a hand to help him steady himself as he, too, worked his way up to the top of the sand dune.

Link's eyes widened in wonder as he reached the top of the sand dune and found himself staring at nothing but water. As far as the eye could see in any direction, there was water. The water kept going until it met the sky, which was almost the same, blazing blue color as the ocean. Massive, billowing, puffy white clouds looked as if they were floating in the ocean.

Waves, much larger than any he had ever seen before, were cresting and crashing several yards out, then gently rolling up along the beach. Tiny little white birds were skittering up and down the dampened sands, peeping and squawking in alarm and dashing for safety any time the water came too close for comfort. Up above, larger white birds rode the thermals, lazily floating to the left and the right without barely ever flapping their wings. It was a truly magnificent sight to behold.

"Speechless, I see," Marin remarked, smiling as she stared out at the gentle waves breaking against the crystal white sands.

"I've never seen so much water in one place before," Link whispered, smiling as he glanced up and down the shoreline.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is," Link agreed.

Marin slipped down the sand dune and walked out across the beach and towards the water. The smaller birds squeaked in alarm as she approached them and scattered in all directions, but a few of the larger birds seemed to take notice of her and began making a lazy descent in her direction. Link couldn't help but notice how peaceful and at ease she looked now that they had reached the beach.

Gingerly, he slipped down the surprisingly steep slope and walked out several feet onto the true start of the shore. He stood back and watched as several of the gulls landed a few feet away from her, staring up at her as if expecting something. He heard her laugh as she bent down, leaning her hands against her knees as if to get down closer to their level, and apologize for not bringing any snacks with her today.

 _Maybe I was wrong about her_ , he thought to himself, stroking his chin thoughtfully as he continued to watch her inch closer and closer to a cluster of several of the smaller birds, who looked as if they couldn't decide whether to bolt up the beach as fast as their tiny little stick legs could carry them or hold absolutely still and hope that Marin wouldn't see them.

 _Animals have better instincts than people. I've seen it first hand. I've even felt it first hand. Those birds have no fear of her at all. That giant terrifying metal ball… thing… if you could call that an animal… didn't react negatively at all towards her. If there was something untrustworthy about her, wouldn't the animals sense that and react accordingly?_

"Ah! Stop it!"

Link looked up and snorted into his hand as a sudden flock of about fifty of the seabirds had appeared out of nowhere and had all landed within several feet of Marin. She took several steps away from them, only to have every single bird follow closely behind. "Quit following me! I told you, no snacks today!" Marin laughed, busy running in zigzag patterns back towards Link.

"Made some new friends, huh?" Link called, grinning at her.

"Help!" she called out amidst her contagious laughter.

He took a few steps forward and waved his hand in the air. "Shoo! Go on, get!"

Not expecting a stranger to interact with them, most of the birds either turned tail and ran back towards the water or started squawking in annoyance and took to the skies. Link watched as most of the flock circled above them and then headed off up the beach.

"My hero," Marin joked.

"The first heroic act is free, but all other acts of heroism from here on out are going to cost you," he wittily replied with a wink.

Marin just rolled her eyes and punched his arm playfully. "Right. Just like the way you so heroically saved me from our terrifying encounter with Bow-Wow earlier."

"Hoo boy. I thought we'd moved past that."

Winking back at him, Marin patted him on the back and turned to watch the seagulls fade into the distance. "I think I've spoiled them rotten. Usually I bring them some small treats, usually just leftovers or some tiny crustaceans and the like."

"Ah. No wonder they like you so much. You're their meal ticket," he commented.

Link noticed her smile softening some as she watched them flying away. By now, they were just tiny little discolored specks fading away in the distance. "It must be so wonderful to have wings," she said softly.

He nodded in agreement.

"If I had wings, I'd... " Marin's voice trailed off. After a moment, she sighed wistfully and turned back around. "Well, never you mind. Come on. The spot I found you is up the way a little bit. I'm not really sure what you're hoping to see or find when we get there, but we might as well get there sooner rather than later. Let's go, Mr. Hero."


	16. Chapter 15

Sand.

Oh, how he loathed sand.

How had sand already worked its way into _both_ of his boots?

Dirt never worked its way into your boots. Neither did grass. Sure, maybe an occasional pebble would work its way in through a tiny rip somewhere, but that only meant that the time had come to finally purchase a new pair of boots.

The beach was full of sand as far as the eye could see. This sand was different than the sands of Gerudo Desert, which was full of golden, thick, almost viscous sand. It was the kind of sand that could whip up and fill the entire sky, threatening to choke the life out of anything with lungs at a moment's notice. This sand was much finer. It sparkled in the sun in a strange sort of way that made it look like the entire beach was coated with tiny, clear gemstones.

Intermittently scattered across the beach were all sorts of shells. Link knew what seashells were, obviously, but he had never really seen them in person before, with the exception of seeing the ones Marin had decorated her cottage with. It seemed a bit strange to think that the shells were once home to creatures that had been alive. Shells were pretty looking, he supposed, but did people really collect the remains of tiny dead sea creatures? Perhaps it was no different than those who proudly collected and displayed bones and skulls.

Or bugs.

"You doing okay back there? You're awful quiet all of a sudden."

"Mmhmm," Link replied absent-mindedly. A seagull squawked overhead, distracting him enough to make him look up. The sun reflected brightly off of the waves and the sand, causing him to grimace and squint as he tracked the bird's movements. "Just taking in the view."

Marin had paused in front of him. She brushed some of her hair back behind her ears and gave him an encouraging smile. "Ah, right. This is your first real time at the beach," she noted. "We're almost there, by the way. It's not too far now."

"Good," Link said, nodding at her to continue on.

A few moments later, Marin pointed out a spot not too far away that was set back in the sand dunes. "There. That's about where I found you. It was high tide, so the water was a lot higher than it is right now, since it's approaching low tide. It was a strong tide, too, as the waves were nearly up to where the long grass grows out of the dunes."

Part of the shore in front of them receded backwards to create a small cove. The waves came farther inland, and the grassy dunes formed a misshapen crescent shape. Several large palm trees were growing back a ways from the water, and a few saplings had sprouted out of the sand as well. A very weathered fallen log rested higher up on the dunes, perfectly centered between two of the taller palm trees. If Link hadn't known any better, he would have guessed that somebody had dragged it there themselves. It was quite arguably the perfect spot on the entire beach to sit down and watch the waves from.

All in all, the little hidden cove seemed to be a little slice of paradise.

If this was where he had washed up from, then surely his belongings should be somewhere close by… right?

"I'm going to go ahead and take a look around," Link said, glancing back at Marin.

"Okay. I'll be around. Just don't wander too far off, especially further up the beach. There's not really anywhere to walk just around the corner of this bay. It gets rather rocky and the ground rises up into a very tall, slippery cliff without much warning."

"Don't worry. I won't go too far," he said, glad for the warning.

Link headed up the left side of the sand dunes, poked around some of the bigger palm trees, kicked over a few rocks, then found himself standing on top of the tallest section of dunes. He was overlooking most of the beach from here, and it was quite a relaxing sight. Marin had wandered down closer to the waves. He watched her slip out of her sandals and carefully pick her way out into the water, laughing as a few seagulls landed on the shore behind her and watched her. He was sure they were only eager to more food.

Having seen no sign of anything that looked like it belonged to him, he sighed and headed towards the fallen log, then promptly stopped dead in his tracks as a cold chill run down his back.

Something about this area felt off… but why? Tensing up as he realized how vulnerable he currently was, he glanced around in search of a stick or a rock he could use. Was something watching him? He closed his eyes, trying to reach out with his senses. He heard the dull roar of the ocean waves in front of him, the soft wail of a seagull flying past overhead, and the faint rustling of the wind through the beach grasses and palm frawns. No monsters or wild animals came rushing at him from out of the dunes. Link opened his eyes, slowly moving just his eyes to the left and right. A few moments passed, then the feeling that something was watching him vanished.

With no way of knowing if it was just paranoia or his senses trying to warn him about a real thread, Link gave the log a bit of a kick. Knowing that this was the spot he had nearly drowned in was certainly enough to make him apprehensive about returning, he told himself. Maybe that's all it was.

Sighing in frustration, the Hero dejectedly plopped himself down on the log. He propped his good arm up on his knee and rested his chin on his fist.

Where in the goddesses' names could the Master Sword have disappeared to?


	17. Chapter 16

~ Chapter 16 ~

The roar of the ocean filled Link's ears as well as his eyes. There was something to be said about how soothing it was to just sit and watch the waves come crashing into the beach in a never-ending cycle. Even from this far back, Link found himself ever so slightly mesmerized by the sight.

He noticed that he didn't see his redheaded companion anywhere. Marin must have wandered off down the beach somewhere out of sight, and the few gulls that had been hanging out in the vicinity had seemed to have followed her as well. Perhaps she had gone off in search of the perfect shell, or maybe she had simply sensed that Link needed a few minutes to himself.

He blinked as this new realization slowly started to sink in.

Link was completely alone.

It dawned on him that this was the first clear, concise moment he could recall having to himself since waking up weak and feverish several days ago in Marin's cottage. It was also the first time since finding himself on this strange island that he felt like he was thinking clearly. So much had happened to him that he was having a hard time sorting out what had really happened to him versus the things he had dreamed up.

"I did just dream those strange couple of moments, right?" he mumbled aloud to himself as his thoughts drifted back to a few nights ago. Marin had been talking to somebody, assuming Link was sound asleep, and the conversation Link had thought he had overheard sounded quite sinister indeed. There was also that time he had thought he had caught her eyes glowing a ghastly blood red color. Or what about when he had stumbled out into the darkness, only to find Marin standing there with a knife in her hand?

"No. That was a dream. If it hadn't been, you'd be dead. She plunged that sucker straight into your chest," he assured himself with a hint of a nervous laugh. Glancing around to make sure he was still completely alone, he did take a second to quickly tug the collar of his tunic open and double check to see that he didn't have a gaping hole in his chest. As he expected, everything appeared to be in fine working order.

Link leaned backwards a bit and glanced up at the sky. The sun was still shining through a break in the clouds, but it was beginning to look overcast. Dark clouds dotted the horizon.

Dark clouds had dotted the skies of Castle Town when he had arrived back to the city, too.

How long ago had that been?

Heaving out a deep sigh, Link lowered his head and shut his eyes as he began to concentrate. Many might have freaked out at the overwhelming task of trying to work out how they had come to wake up in a strange location, but Link was no stranger to such outrageous sounding tales. At least this time, he had woken up with two arms, two legs, and furless. His current predicament was just a puzzle waiting to be solved. He may not have all of the pieces just yet, but they were out there somewhere.

First things first, he needed to start with the facts. What did he know for sure and for certain? Fact 1 - The Master Sword was missing.

Fact 2 - His sword arm was currently useless.

These two facts certainly seemed to have an uncanny level of coincidence to them. If his adventures had taught him anything over the last few years, it was to not believe in coincidences. In his mind, he hesitated thinking of his arm as 'broken.' He had broken a few bones before, mostly from being quite a reckless youth. Broken burns hurt. Broken bones left you feeling miserable and sore, and even as they were healing, they liked to remind you that they were still very tender. He was certainly no doctor, but whatever was going on with his arm didn't seem to be bone-based.

He didn't remember any large incidents befalling him in Castle Town. Epona hadn't spooked and bucked him off, which was how he had broken his wrist the last time he had busted a bone. He didn't recall tripping and falling down a flight of stairs, nor did he remember getting into any fights - people or otherwise. He remembered a few of the newly recruited soldiers coming up to him once they figured out who he was and asking if he would mind sparring with them, but there hadn't been time.

But why? Why hadn't there been time? Just what was it that he had been doing?

Fact 3 - Between when the soldiers had first arrived in Ordon with a royal request for him and when he arrived in Castle Town, three days had passed.

Fact 4 - He remembered at least one full night spent in the castle. Dusk had been settling over Castle Town when he had finally made his way there.

Fact 5 - He hadn't slept that night. Everything had happened so quickly - official escorts from a small army of soldiers at the front entrance, official receptions from fancy men and women in fancy gowns and wigs and polished shoes, excited maids and butlers rushing him around, tray after tray of food being brought into the room he had deserted in, an official apology from a man in a robe explaining that it wouldn't be until tomorrow when he could see her…

And just like that he had found himself alone in a room that seemed bigger than all of Ordon Village. Epona had been taken straightaway into the royal stables, which Link had been able to catch a glimpse of out one of the immaculate windows of his room, and he couldn't help but think that the stables looked cozier than his room. This enormous room was eloquent, prim, regal, and far too perfect. The books on the bookshelf were all exactly the same size. The floor matched the wallpaper, which also somehow matched the ceiling, which all also matched the sheets, the curtains, the towels, and the napkins on the table. The settings on the table by the fireplace had too many utensils - who needed three forks? There wasn't a personal touch of anything anywhere to be found. Everything about the room felt cold.

The bed, which seemed large enough to sleep a dozen and five people, was too soft - he was used to his slim, thin mattress and simple wooden frame. No matter how hard he tried, he just tossed and turned until he sank into the plush. The moon had climbed halfway up into the sky before he abandoned all thought of sleep. Unsure how late it actually was, he slipped his baldric over one shoulder and silently slipped back out into the hallway.

A baleful feeling hung in the air as he wandered down some stairs, turned left, and found himself in a long hallway. He realized where he was now. The last time he had been in this hallway, it had been crawling with Lizafols and Dynalfos. Shuddering, he turned and went the opposite direction, headed down a hallway he had never ventured down on his last trip to the castle.

It was the tell-tale flicker of a candle's flame that caught his attention. Who could possibly be awake at this hour and down in an area like this, besides him? Where were the guards? Wasn't a place like this supposed to be filled with guards? The only reason he was awake was because everything here was far too fancy for a simple farm boy like him - sleep eluded him. Despite all he had accomplished, it was still like something out of a dream, actually being here when the place wasn't teeming with monsters.

At the thought of monsters once again, H=his hand naturally drifted up to the sword that rested on his back. Of course he had taken it with him on his restlessness midnight stroll. After all he had been through, could anyone really blame him?

Moving silently as a shadow, he inched closer and closer to the doorway. Someone had left it open just a crack, almost as if they had been afraid that the soft click of shutting it completely might attract unwanted attention.

He held his breath as he reached his right hand for the door handle. Narrowing his eyes, he better angled himself so that he could peer through the crack in the doorway. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw-

"Why so glum, chum?"

"GAH!" Link gasped, starting as he was jolted out of his memories.

Marin shrieked as she jumped back in surprise at his reaction. "Oh, goodness! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!"

"Marin! No, no, you're fine," Link exclaimed, breathing heavily as he tried to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest. "I… yeah, I suppose I might have nodded off for a moment or two there. I didn't even hear you," he said, frowning at how easily he had dropped his guard.

Chuckling, Marin offered a hand to help him sit up. "You looked like you might have been deep in thought, so I didn't want to disturb you too much, but then you had such this sad yet serious look on your face... " Her voice trailed off as she helped him back to his feet. "Did you find anything useful in your thoughts?"

"Afraid not," he said, and it was true. Something had happened that night, but whatever it was was gone from his mind now.

"Did you find anything useful otherwise?" she asked curiously.

"Hmm?"

"Weren't you looking for your sword, I think it was?"

"Oh. Right. No, I'm afraid I didn't find that, either," he sighed.

Marin gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry to hear that, but that's sort of what I expected."

Furrowing his brows, Link gave her a bit of an odd look. "What do you mean?"

"I just meant that if you had a sword with you, then I imagine I would have seen it when I came across you. Even if it had washed up with you, it's been several days since then. I'm sorry to say, Link, but if you did have a sword with you, there's a good chance it's resting at the bottom of the ocean floor by now. Maybe you lucked out and maybe it did wash up on the shore somewhere, but that could be anywhere. The beach goes on for miles and miles in both directions, but not all of it is walkable, especially not in your condition."

"Hey!"

Marin giggled softly. "I'm only being honest! Maybe once you're fully recovered, you can go beachcombing to your heart's content. But hey, come on, cheer up. It was only a sword, right?"

Link felt his heart dropping into his stomach. "Well, it wasn't just any sword…"

"Right," Marin agreed sympathetically as she rested a hand on his good arm. "It was _yours_ , so of course it was special. I understand. But really, Link, a sword is replaceable. You're not. Be happy it's the sword that's missing and not you."

Link gasped softly. It was such an innocent statement, but something about the wording of that statement really struck a chord with him. What if that was the problem - the Master Sword wasn't here because it was back in Hyrule? What if he was the one missing after all?


	18. Chapter 17

~ Chapter 17 ~

The sky above was roiling with ominous black clouds while sand from the beach whipped around through the air so turbulently it felt like tiny whips beating against any exposed skin it could find, yet Link took no notice of either of these things. Instead, the defeated-feeling hero-that-once-was stared gloomily down at his boots as he trudged slowly along after Marin.

He heaved out a long sigh as he tried to shoulder this new burden he now carried heavily upon his shoulders - guilt.

What good was he with no sword and a broken, useless arm? His arm might eventually mend, sure, and maybe he would find his way back home, but then what would happen? What kind of Hero loses the very sword the seals the darkness, the Blade of Evil's Bane - the one and only Master Sword? Legend had it that the blade was a gift from the goddesses themselves.

Over the years, Link had heard many variations, but they were all generally the same. It was a special sword that chose the very first Hero many, many years ago. Din herself was said to have provided the flames that tempered the blade, providing it with its mythical power.

Link himself had been skeptical that such a sword existed anywhere in the real world. Legends, he once thought, were just that - fanciful stories passed down through the generations, with each new storyteller adding his or her own interpretation and personalized flair to the tall tale.

Fate had decided to provide the doubting youth with firsthand experience of the legendary sword's powers.

"And then I went and lost it," he grumbled to himself, heaving out another long sigh. "I'm sure if I just waltz on up to the nearest temple and beseech the goddesses, they're sure to just return to Hyrule and-"

A streak of lightning lit up the entire sky. A loud crack of thunder startled him enough to quit talking and finally look up. It didn't take long for him to notice that he was standing in a long, winding row of sand dunes and palm trees. The wind had picked up enough to cause even the trees to start swaying back and forth rather dangerously. A large, heavy looking brown object that he surmised was some sort of gigantic nut came crashing down several feet from where he was standing, leaving an impressive crater in the sand.

Besides the grasses, the palm trees, and the sand dunes, it would appear that Link was all alone on the outskirts of the beach.

"Marin?" he called, glancing around in search of his red-headed companion.

"WHO?" came a strange call in a booming voice from somewhere above him.

That voice certainly wasn't Marin.

Link effortlessly shifted his stance, falling back into a defensive posture as he now began scanning the treetops for signs of where this new voice had come from. It felt as though night had suddenly descended upon the whole beach, making it difficult to see high up into the treetops. The wind had picked up strong enough to start making an absolutely awful moaning noise as it tore through the trees and the thick foliage. He had to constantly remind himself that the moaning was only the wind.

Did something just hop from one tree to the next? Link slowly started to back up, fully on alert now. Someone… or something… was watching him.

"Marin?" he called a second time, making sure his voice was loud enough to carry.

This time, a loud screech greeted him in return. A wild looking beast with big yellow eyes suddenly appeared at the edge of the tree closest to Link, made eye contact with Link, then let out another terrible screech. As best he could tell, the creature was covered with thick, mangy looking clumps of bedraggled dark red fur. It was maybe the size of a cat, but it was hard to tell since it was so far up above him.

Before Link could get a better look at it to figure out just what exactly it was, the small creature proved that size didn't equal strength - it procured a coconut almost as large as itself and promptly chucked it with incredible dexterity and impeccable aim straight at Link's head.

"Gah! Hey! Stop that!" Link shouted, diving out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit square in the head. The coconut landed inches behind him, sinking deep into the sand.

The tiny yet mighty creature let out another shriek. It vanished for a few seconds, then returned back to the top of the tree with a new coconut just as Link as pulled himself up off of the ground. Link was slower to get up than he would have wished and this time the little beast's aim was spot on. A coconut that felt like a Goron-sized boulder smashed into the center of his back, causing Link to crumple back down to the ground, biting back a flurry of curses as he groaned loudly in pain.

The creature started jumping up and down in the tree, hooting and hollering triumphantly in its scritchy-scratchy high-pitched scream of a voice.

"Mangy, noisy little pest," Link groaned, gritting his teeth together against the shrill pierce of yet another howling scream. With some effort, he managed to push himself back up into a sitting position. He made a face as he spit sand and dirt out of his mouth. It was only after he realized it had grown strangely quiet that he looked up and saw that his little friend had returned, this time with a coconut that was at least twice the size of its own self.

"You've got to be kidding me," he sighed.

"WHO?" came the booming voice from before, but this time it came from behind him. The voice echoed into the gloom. A flash of lightning lit up the sky overhead, followed by another tremendous crack of thunder. For half of a second, the shadowy form of something very large was outlined on the ground and up into the trees.

Something, either the booming voice, the weather, or the shadow, caused the small creature to shriek in alarm, drop the coconut, and vanish back into the treetops. While Link was glad to be rid of the little pest, the feeling that something was watching him hadn't gone away. He was certain that who or whatever he had senses previously was now somewhere behind him. Moving slowly, he stretched his good hand stretched out towards the nearest coconut, fingers clenching tightly around the coarse hairs and thick outer shell.

"I know you're watching me," Link called, meaning it more as a warning than a general observation.

"WHO?" came the booming voice once more. Something sounded like it ruffled or shuffled together behind him.

"You!"

A momentary pause. Another shuffling noise. When the voice next spoke, it came from in front of him. "WHO?"

Desperate to find the source of the voice, Link scanned the treetops once more. It wasn't until another crack of lightning lit up the entire beach that he saw it - a massive owl was perched high up above him, staring down at him with big, intelligent yellow eyes! Link had never seen an owl so big in all his years of living. Its wingspan was easily eight, no, ten feet. If he were to stand next to the owl, he wondered if they would be equal in height.

So the booming voice was just an owl, then. There was nobody there asking "Who?" after all.

Now that he knew where to look, it was easy to make out the owl's form in the darkness. What a majestic creature! As Link stared up in awe at the owl, he couldn't help but feel as if the owl was studying him. It felt like the bird's unblinking gaze pierced straight through to his very core.

But what was an owl doing out on the beach? And in what was relatively still daytime, despite how dark it was from the brewing storm? Owls typically resided in the deep forests and mountains.

Almost as if the owl sensed Link's confusion, he bobbed his head up and down a few times. "WHO?" the bird seemed to ask, tilting its head to one side.

Link slowly picked himself up off of the ground, allowing the coconut fall out of his head. "I'm nobody to be concerned about. Not at the moment, anyway," he replied, knowing full well the bird couldn't understand him.

The owl shook its head almost as if to say 'no, not you,' then did the strangest, most humanlike thing Link had ever seen a winged creature do in his life: the owl caught Link's gaze, shook its head again, then stretched a wing out and gestured to a distant hilltop. It actually seemed to point a few times, emphasizing the direction it apparently wanted Link to look. "WHO?"

Frowning, Link squinted his eyes and followed the owl's wing. He could just barely make out the hill from where he was standing, but it was so dark and hard to see…

A flash of lightning lit up the sky and land.

Link's gasp caught in his throat as he spotted a golden, glowing wolf staring right back at him.


	19. Chapter 18

~ Chapter 18 ~

The hairs on the back of Link's neck prickled as a strange hush fell over the land. Static filled the air, and the clouds above looked as though even the gentlest of touches would cause them to burst. Every nerve in his body sensed the storm about to rip the heavens apart. His senses screamed at him to run, to seek shelter, but he was frozen in his tracks.

Across what felt like miles and miles of sandy beaches, craggy bluffs, and sheer cliffs sat a tall, majestic looking white wolf. A strange, golden, glowing aura surrounded the creature. Link felt a jolt clear down to the center of his being the moment the wolf made eye contact with him.

The glowing outline of the wolf, who seemed to be standing at the far edges of his vision, made no effort to move. The wolf simply sat right where he was, calm and patient. If the impending storm bothered him, he made no show of it. Although they were separated by great swaths of land, Link could practically hear the wolf's slow, soft panting.

"You," Link whispered, shell-shocked at the sudden appearance of the wolf. Memories came flooding back to him of the first time he had crossed paths with the wolf. The creature had been sitting calmly and patiently in front of the path leading up to the temple hidden deep in the wilds of the Faron Woods. When Link had approached the wolf warrily, the creature had stood, drawn its hackles, and pounced. Link was sure the wolf meant to rip him apart, but instead of winding up as dinner, Link had instead found himself in a strange place. The wolf had transformed into a Stalfos. Until that moment, Link had never seen one in person, but he had heard awful rumors about them from Rusl.

Stalfos were the reincarnated skeletal remains of warriors who perished in battle, the legend went. Another story said that in ancient times, those who wandered into the sacred woods besides the mythical beings that inhabited them would be cursed, doomed to wander lost for the rest of their days. Knowing this, Link had been certain the gargantuan skeletal beast looming before him would no doubt try to slay him, but it hadn't.

The creature possessed intelligence, and oddly enough, it seemed it was a creature of the Light. He offered great wisdom and power to Link, teaching him ancient and powerful hidden swordsmanship skills. Throughout his journey, the two had crossed paths many times. Link had come to forge a powerful bond with the swordsman, who only once ever identified himself as a Hero from another time.

Link had been certain that their last meeting would have been just that - the last time they ever met. So what was the golden wolf doing here now on this strange island?

The massive owl had somehow shifted closer to Link. It was now perched rather precariously atop a rocky outcrop several feet away. Its golden eyes stared intently down at him. The owl seemed to be studying the Hylian, letting out a pensive sounding hoot.

A loud crack of thunder suddenly ripped the sky open, for just as the sound broke through the air, a torrential downpour started falling from the heavens. It was a hard, heavy, and cold rain that soaked through Link's tunic in seconds.

With a frightened screech, the owl gave a mighty flap of its wings and vanished into the night, flying off in the direction of the golden wolf. "WHO?" he called almost mockingly once more before he vanished into the downpour.

A loud roar filled the air as the rain intensified. It started pounding heavily against every surface it came into contact with. The sound quickly drowned out everything else around. It was the kind of driving rain that obscured everything around. The wolf, the rocky bluffs, and the beach vanished into a murky gray mist.

"No!" Link shouted. "Wait! Come back!"

Like one possessed, the Hero took off racing recklessly into the darkness. "Come back!" he screamed as he ran down the muddy, sandy dunes and back down towards the beach. Surely that was the quickest and most direct way to get to where the wolf had been sitting, right?

The world flashed white as a bolt of lightning crashed into the waves not twenty feet away from where he was. Grimacing at the abrupt flash of light, Link skidded to a halt as he threw his good arm up instinctively to cover his eyes. Sparks rained down on him. This was followed by a thunderclap so loud that it left his ears ringing. Sand and rain both beat relentless against his exposed skin.

Determined to press on, Link veered to his left and ran back up the dunes. The ground beneath him was slick and sloppy, and he lost his footing twice before managing to clamber up onto a rocky spot that looked out over the ocean. Palm trees were nearly bent over backwards as the winds picked up into a strong gale. Lightning struck one of the palm trees right besides him, causing it to burst into flames with a splintering roar that sounded as if the sky itself had been ripped asunder. Panicking, Link ran backwards towards one of the large sets of rocky cliffs. His left foot slipped on a rock, and he hit the ground hard.

A voice in his head told him that he was a stark-raving lunatic for being out in this kind of weather, but he ignored it. Groaning, he somehow managed to pull himself up and tried to get his bearings. There was no way he was climbing anything in his condition, but returning to the beach seemed suicidal. Surely there was some sort of path through the cliffs. The wolf had been up ahead and to the left… right?

 _Wait, what's that sound?_

A great grinding, ripping, popping sound was approaching from directly behind him, and it was even louder than the rain. It grew louder and louder. Strange rustles and crackling sounds soon joined in, sounding very much like someone was breaking apart stick after stick. What could making sure a queer, unsettling noise? The ground beneath him rumbled ever so slightly. Something hard pelted him in the head.

"Ow! Was that hail? That almost felt like… a rock," Link gasped with realization dawning on him.

His eyes widened in terror as he turned around just in time to see the start of a massive mudslide about to rain down on top of him. It took everything he had to leap as hard and as fast as he could to the side as a deadly mixture of mud, rocks, and branches came pouring down over the top of the cliff.

His body instinctively curled into a ball to take the brunt of the force, but he wasn't quite recovered enough to bounce back like he normally did. His head jarred right into a black rock, and he crumpled into a heap as mud and sand oozed over his legs.

Through the din of the hammering rain and the mudslide, he thought he heard someone shouting his name from a great distance, but he couldn't be sure. His eyes fluttered halfway open, but darkness swam at the edges of his vision. With a groan, Link succumbed to the realm of unconsciousness.

The golden wolf padded softly out of the shadows of the beach, unruffled by the rain. He stared down at the unmoving form of the Hero, then moved closer and gently nosed his bandaged hand.

" _Take sword in hand… and find me."_

Movement from the far end of the beach caught the wolf's attention. Looking up, the wolf growled at the fog and moved to stand defensively in front of Link's fallen form. A black, murky shape approached the Hero and the Wolf. It stood at about the same height as Link, but besides that, nothing else could be discerned about the figure. The wolf started snarling.

The figure stopped several yards back, then held up a hand.

The wolf let out a fierce bark before bounding as fast as it could towards the black figure.

Two slits of gleaming, blood red appeared where the figure's eyes should have been and chuckled darkly before it backed up into the fog. The wolf jumped up, also vanishing into the fog, leaving Link's unconscious form alone once more.


	20. Chapter 19

~ Chapter 19 ~

(If you want some good Music To Read By, check out the OC Remix "The Other Side" from Twilight Princess)

A long, dark, and empty hallway stretched out before him. The tapestries and empty suits of armor cast eerie shadows to either side of him. Being here under much different circumstances made the hollow soldiers no less creepy. Shuddering away from the closest one, some instinct drove him to step closer to one of the massive stained glass windows that looked out over one of the courtyards.

For half of a moment, he expected to see the all-too-familiar ambient golden glow in the sky, flickering, pulsing, and swirling around as if it were some sort of living fire. Much to his relief, the air was devoid of the strange, gravity-defying flecks of shadows that floated upwards into oblivion, and the sky was as plain as it was any other night.

The grounds below were all but deserted. He hadn't expected to see guards out running drill, but he had at least expected to see some sign of life. As far as he could see, there wasn't a single torch burning anywhere. Most of the courtyard was hidden away in murky shadows cast by the thick, foreboding castle walls that had been designed ages ago to keep out unwanted guests and intruders. Banners and flags hung deathly still. Not a single bare branch from the trees in the distance swayed or moved. With not even the slightest bit of a breeze in the air, everything looked frozen in time. Glancing upwards, he saw that a dark gloom had blanketed the evening sky, blotting out every last speck of light. Not a single star shone through the darkness.

In that instant, it felt very much like he was the only person left alive in all of Hyrule.

What a silly thought, he told himself as he shrugged off and stepped away from the window. Surely there were soldiers stationed at posts he just couldn't make out from this particular vantage point. Peace may have settled over the land, but that was no reason to leave the place deserted and undefended. The castle walls likely blocked much of his view from here deep inside the castle. There had been soldiers posted at the main gates when he had arrived. He had passed several other spots were soldiers were diligently standing by, too. Surely there were maids and butlers and other such servants around, too. Granted, it was the middle of the night, and he hoped that nothing would require the service of such a person in the middle of the night, but something about some of the more snootier people he had crossed paths with in Castle Town gave him pause. If a member of the royal family or the court wanted tea and biscuits in the dead of night, surely they would have the means to summon someone to fetch the items for them. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at such a thought.

I certainly hope that the Princess wouldn't turn out to be someone like that, he thought to himself as he glanced all around the empty courtyard below, almost as if he could wish someone into existence. I truly don't think she would be, but I guess you never really know. Although he had had several interactions with the Princess of Hyrule, he couldn't really say he knew very much about her. Most of the times they had met, after all, he hadn't exactly been able to do much speaking. At other times, he had been a little preoccupied with saving the realms and trying not to die and such.

"The sun set hours ago. It must be getting awful late into the night," he muttered to himself, turning away from the window. He found himself face to face with a rather ridiculously huge portrait of a stern, angry, and bitter looking old man. It was too dark to make out the tiny golden plaque below, but he was sure it was some sort of duke or lord from ages past. "I should probably return to my room before some poor, unsuspecting night guard does come across me."

Link glanced down the hallway back towards the extravagant chambers he had been given to stay in. The bed itself seemed larger than his entire, quaint little cottage.

Filled with a restlessness he just couldn't shake, he decided to see if a longer evening stroll could combat his anxious nerves, so he continued his slow and stealthy walk down the hallway. He told himself that he would feel better checking to make sure that somebody somewhere was keeping a careful watch over things in the castle. Surely he would pass by a soldier patrolling the hallways soon enough, or spot one struggling to stay awake through the long, silent night. The farther he walked, though, the less certain he became that he would run into anybody.

He rounded a corner and nearly shattered a marble bust into pieces. Cursing at whoever decided it was a fantastic idea to display such a grotesque figure right around a sharp turn, he slid his sword silently back into its sheath. It was a miracle he hadn't let out a yelp that would have awakened the dead.

More than once, he let his imagination get the better of him once more as he drew his sword on nothing but empty air and shadows.

"Better safe than dead," he whispered to himself, silently sliding his sword back into place for the third time that night.

His wandering led him down several hallways and staircases until he found himself in a section of the lower castle he had never been in before. Still, he saw air seemed colder down here, and he noticed that the plush carpets and polished tiles had given way to worn brick and stone floors. A noticeable layer of dust had settled over an unlit candelabrum to his left.

Here, things weren't as elaborate as they were in the upper wings. There were no golden chandeliers, no hand-carved stone tablets on display, no suits of armor, no fancy paintings depicting landscapes or long-dead royal family members. The ceilings were lower here, too, and the windows were smaller and very spread out. Without a torch or a lantern, it was almost as dark as the moonless night sky outside. Was this perhaps a very old section of the castle?

He hesitated when he came to an intersection and a tight, spiraling staircase that led back upstairs. Something told him that he really shouldn't be wandering around down here alone and uninvited. He was just about to turn around and head back the way he had came from when something caught his eye from far down the hallway to his left.

It was the tell-tale flicker of a candle's flame that caught his attention. Who could possibly be awake at this hour and down in an area like this, besides him? Where were the guards? Wasn't a place like this supposed to be filled with guards? The only reason he was awake was because everything here was far too fancy for a simple farm boy like him - sleep eluded him. Despite all he had accomplished, it was still like something out of a dream, actually being here. When the summons had come, written out in such fancy script on such beautiful paper, he could scarcely believe his eyes.

His hand naturally drifted up to the sword that rested on his back. He had already pulled it on nothing at all at least twice tonight (and at least once on that bust of what might have actually been a Moblin). Would this be yet another false alarm? Something in his gut told him that it might not be. If need be, he could pull his sword in the blink of an eye and unleash a mortal draw - a move that there was no defense against. He paused for just a moment, saying a silent prayers to the goddesses that there would be no need for such a move tonight.

Moving silently as a shadow, he inched closer and closer to the doorway. Someone had left it open just a crack, almost as if they had been afraid that the soft click of shutting it completely might attract unwanted attention.

He held his breath as he reached his right hand for the door handle. Narrowing his eyes, he better angled himself so that he could peer through the crack in the doorway. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw a figure wrapped in a black cloak sitting hunched over a wooden table, surrounded on either side by stacks of ancient looking books. Long, brunette hair pulled into a low, half braid fell down her back.

"Who's there?" she whispered sternly without turning around. Her right hand moved out of Link's sight, and he could only presume that she had moved to grab some sort of knife or dagger.

Link pushed the door open a few inches with his foot. "My apologies, your Highness. It's only me," he said, bowing a bit awkwardly.

"Link?" Zelda turned around to face him, and her blazing blue eyes locked intently on his. "What are you doing down here?"

Praying that he didn't look anywhere near as embarrassed as he was starting to feel, he offered her a humble smile. "I'm afraid I couldn't sleep, so I went for a midnight stroll. I'm terribly sorry to have disturbed you. By your leave, I'll head straight back to-"

"No," she answered, cutting him off. "Please, come in. And shut the door behind you," she added, turning back to whatever was spread out before her on the table.

Not about to refuse a direct request from the Princess of Hyrule, he simply nodded and did as she bade him. Careful to keep the door from making any noise, he slipped into the small room and shut the door behind him. A quick glance around the oval-shaped room revealed several small, dusty wooden shelves in the center of the room, most filled with ancient looking scrolls and parchments. In the back was a larger, round table with several chairs scattered all around them. A large map of Hyrule hung across most of the back wall.

Next to Zelda was a large stack of leather-bound tomes, all of which appeared to be several hundred pages long. One was open in the center of the table, but Link frowned when he realized that it appeared to be written in a language he had never before seen. Curiosity caused him to lean a bit closer to the open book.

"What's this? It doesn't appear to be Hylian," he murmured aloud, mostly to himself.

"It's not," Zelda replied. "And to be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure of its origin myself. I have a hunch, though, and a good lead. That's part of what I'm working on here. See this scroll here? I believe this may be the key I need to interpret this passage," she asked, gesturing to a small scroll that couldn't have been more than 8 inches long. The paper was faded and tattered with age, and the ink that someone had used to inscribe their message was nearly faded from sight. At the bottom was a strange insignia, almost like some sort of open eye.

"That looks very old," Link remarked, peering over at it.

"It is. Some scholars believe it to be at least a thousand years old. Possibly even older." Zelda glanced up and seemed to notice that Link was looming over her, both hands on his hips. "Would you like to have a seat?"

"Oh! Sure thing," he answered as he lowered himself into the chair across from the princess. Now that had a moment, he noticed that Zelda was wearing a long-sleeved blue gown embroidered with the crest of the royal family just below the neckline. Her cloak rested on her shoulders, flowing down her back until it barely tickled the floor. Her crown was missing in action, as was all of her jewelry save a pair of silver cuffs that hugged her earlobes. He had only ever seen her in much more elegant, elaborate dress before, and for a moment it startled him a bit to see her dressed so plainly. It was, however, the middle of the night.

Once he was seated, Zelda carefully peered down at the other book she had open in front of her. It was a dark green, leather-bound, pocket-sized journal. This one was inscribed with very small, barely legible Hylian script. On the left page was a rough sketch of a large building, with notes and arrows scribbled everywhere. It looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. On the right page was a hastily drawn sketch of something Link had seen destroyed with his own two eyes: The Mirror of Twilight.

"That's the Mirror of Twilight," he exclaimed in a shocked whisper. "What are you…" His voice trailed off as he gave her a concerned look of puzzlement.

Zelda said nothing.

Link glanced over and saw another book that was open further up the table. This one had a much more in-depth, detailed, technical sketch of the Mirror of Twilight. In this particular drawing, though, the artist had added what it looked like when open and active.

Link's eyes flickered up to meet Zelda's. His eyebrows lowered seriously as he gave her a long, hard look.

"Your Highness-"

"Please, call me Zelda."

Link was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Zelda, what exactly is it that you're researching down here? The Mirror of Twilight was shattered. It's gone."

Her eyes flickered down to the journal. She said nothing.

"What's going on, Princess?"

Zelda sighed softly. She looked over at the map of Hyrule, then turned back up to meet Link's eyes. Was it just his imagination, or was there now a glimmer of trepidation in her eyes? "Link… I've had a terrible premonition."

Before Link could answer, a large crash came from somewhere out in the hallway. On his feet in a second, he wordlessly pulled his sword free of its sheath and held a hand out to stop Zelda from also rising to her feet. He pressed a single finger to his lips, then nodded his head towards the door. Sword in hand, he slipped back out into the dark hallway and found himself standing in utter blackness.

The hallway was gone.

"Zelda?!" he gasped, whirling around.

The doorway he had just stepped through was gone.

"Zelda!" he shouted, running back towards where the door ought to have been.

"Zelda?" a female voiced repeated, sounding as if it were mocking him. "Why are you looking for her?"

He froze in his tracks, gasping out loud as his eyes opened wide. His blood turned to ice in his veins.

That voice. It couldn't be.

Link slowly turned around. His heart jumped up into his throat as he caught sight of her. Standing off in the distance was an impossibly tall, elegant, fiery-haired female he had thought he would never see again.

"What? Say something! Am I so beautiful that you've no words left?" she laughed, grinning at him as she planted a hand on her hip.

Words were beyond him. He simply stood there, transfixed by the sight of her. How was this possible?

"Did you forget?" she chuckled, smiling sadly. "Light and shadow can't mix."

She turned away from him and started to walk away. As she did so, golden cracks began to spread out in all directions from the spot where she was standing. The ground began to crack and tremble. Great hunks of the ground tore itself loose, crumbling and falling away into nothingness. Giant hunks of what seemed to be the sky peeled away, revealing rolling, boiling, iridescent golden clouds of twilight beyond. Behind Link, the very same sky was peeling away as well, but behind him was a bright, beautiful, crystal clear day.

Light and shadow.

Two separate worlds.

"No… no!" Link shouted, racing towards her, but it was too late. The darkness was swallowing her up, and the ground was crumbling and falling away into blinding oblivion. "No! Stop! Come back!" he screamed, trying his hardest to run after her, but it felt as if a thousand invisible hands had grabbed onto him and were yanking him backwards, dragging him towards the light.

With a giant roar, the ground beneath him shattered into thousands of thousands flecks of black shadows, and suddenly he was falling through the light. She was standing on the edge of the hole he had fallen through, a sad smile on her face as she watched him go. The lower bits of her cracked into pieces and dissolved into the sky, while black flecks of twilight flew upwards past him.

"Midna!" he screamed as he fell, tears welling up in his eyes as he reached out towards her fading form.

Her red eyes closed as a tear trickled down her face.

It was cold as it dripped onto his face.

"Midna? No, silly, it's Marin," she chuckled softly.

Her blue eyes opened as she looked down at him, smiling cheerfully. Her red hair was pulled back out of her face into a messy bun, and she was holding a damp cloth in one hand.

The images of the blinding light and the clouds of the twilight vanished as Link realized he was staring up at the thatched roof of Marin's seaside cottage. The island girl was sitting on the edge of his bed, gently wiping his forehead. "Boy, you sure did give me a fright last night," she was saying, but Link was too shell-shocked to both listen or reply.

Seeing the Golden Wolf last night…

Zelda and her premonition, those images and notes on the Mirror of Twilight, and… Midna… Had all of that only been a dream?


End file.
